Twin Stars
by Lucathia Rykatu
Summary: Orphaned!Hao is given the chance to earn some money. The catch? Crossdressing. AU world of idols and singers. Yoh is oblivious to Hao's existence...until he sees a mysterious "Ha-chan" on the cover of Manta's magazine. ch13: the concert.
1. prologue: the child in the streets

T W I N – S T A R S

by Lucathia

**A/N: **WARNING! This fic is AU, meaning it doesn't follow the Shaman King canon. Characters have entirely different roles in this story. There will be some romance later on in the fic, which will include mostly heterosexual relationships, but there will also be some mention of homosexual relationships too (especially because of Hao's situation). Please heed this warning and make sure that you're fine with both before you read on.

**Main Characters:** Hao, Yoh, Anna, Jeanne, Ren, Horo Horo  
**Side Characters:** Faust, Marco, Manta, Lyserg, Nichrome, Mari, Macchi, Kanna, Ryu, Opacho, others

**summary: **AU - Orphan Hao is offered a chance to earn some money as a singer. The catch? Crossdressing. Throw in oblivious!Yoh, Anna and Jeanne competing for the top spot in popularity, and Ren who somehow thinks that Hao would be a good addition to his fan base.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Shaman King nor any of the songs mentioned in this fic.

* * *

**prologue:** **the child in the streets**

* * *

_Yomigaere!  
Let there be light_  
_Revive a soul._

_-Oversoul  
_(Megumi Hayashibara  
VA of Kyoyama Anna)

* * *

The boy lay on his back with his arms propped behind his head. He had skipped school again, just to watch the fluffy white clouds drift by. His orange headphones covered his ears, playing his second favorite music. It was sung by his fiancée, Kyoyama Anna.

Asakura Yoh was a carefree boy. He truly was. His grandparents loved him, pampered him, and spoiled him. They gave him everything he wanted and never denied him anything. If he wanted to buy, say a really expensive mp3 player, his grandparents would buy it for him immediately. Heck, if he had wanted the stars, his grandparents would have found some way to bring the stars to him. Sometimes, Yoh had to wonder why they were so zealous in complying with his every wish. Was it because of his lack of parents?

His grandparents, however, couldn't give him his parents or even a friend around his own age. The other children in Izumo didn't seem to like him much. Maybe it was because he was spoiled? But it wasn't as if he was stuck up or anything. He just tended to be somewhat lazy and unmotivated, since he didn't have to do anything to get the things he wanted. In the end, he never went out of his way to make friends and the other children never went out of their way to make friends with him either.

His grandparents did try their best in helping him though. They even found him a fiancée. But in the end, a fiancée was different from a friend. Besides, Anna was always busy with her singing career. When she wasn't, she tortured him with never-ending singing drills to train his voice and even countless music lessons so that he could play for her. He shuddered at the thought.

Aside from thinking about Anna, Yoh continued being his lazy self on this normal, quite uneventful day. He continued watching the clouds and listening to his fiancée's singing. Vague thoughts floated through his mind, thoughts along the line of how nice it'd be to have some friends or maybe even some siblings for a change.

Little did Yoh know that he truly did have a sibling, a twin to boot, who was living a life entirely opposite of his, a life not even remotely the same.

With little to do, Yoh let his eyes drift shut as he fell asleep.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the busy Shibuya district where teenagers bustled about shopping for the latest fashion, one side street was strangely silent. It was a peaceful kind of silence in which the birds cuddled against each other cooing. All was fine and dandy, until...

"Damn you, stupid #! # #!#!"

Alarmed, the birds took off with fluttering wings.

The cursing continued without stopping.

An older man in the streets heard the cursing. He winced a bit at the words chosen, but he stumbled off the path, searching for the voice.

This man's name was Faust. To be precise, he was Faust VIII, the eighth son in the Faust family. But since he was the only Faust still alive, he had dropped the suffix in his name and came to be known simply as Faust. Not Faust VIII or Faust the Eighth. Simply Faust.

His name didn't really matter much though. Right now he needed money. Desperately. His dear wife, Eliza, was stuck in the hospital. He constantly had to pay her medical fees, and he was starting to run out of money to pay them. He didn't even have any money for the operation that she terribly needed. Every little bit of money he earned went immediately to curing Eliza. He saved nothing for himself. Yet it wasn't enough.

His goal, ever since his youth, was to become a doctor. He had studied countless hours in the best schools in order to become Eliza's personal doctor. Since birth, she had been cursed with a weak body. He wanted to support her with his skills. But when his father had died, he had inherited his father's company, Bones Entertainment. He wouldn't have cared about his father's business at all if it wasn't because the company was his only source of income. Without the business, Faust wouldn't have had to money to go to med school or pay for Eliza's hospital fees. Faust had no choice but to quit his studies to run his father's business. Once he decided to take that path in his life, he couldn't go back to his old status of a med student.

He was now in his forties. Eliza had fallen even more ill in the past year. And to top that, he was on the verge of losing his job. At the present, Bones Entertainment was almost out of business. It was a small company that promoted young female singers. Though he was the owner of the company, he was also one of the managers there. Yet, he hadn't had someone to manage for quite some while now. The company's top rivals were Funbari Spirits and the X-Laws. The two lead singers that they promoted, Kyoyama Anna and Iron Maiden Jeanne, were currently the two most popular female singers. In order to compete with his rival companies, Faust needed a young, female singer to promote. He was desperate. It wasn't about saving his business. It was about saving Eliza.

So, imagine Faust's surprise and thankfulness when he heard the most beautiful voice in the most unexpected place. Granted the voice was used for cursing, but it was still alluring. Faust's sensitive ears were tuned to detecting talent. He immediately started going towards the voice.

He followed the voice, walking past an entire block of buildings in the busy, Shibuya shopping district. He wondered how other people failed to notice the loud, piercing voice. How could they not hear it? The strong, rebellious voice reached towards his heart. Even though the owner of the voice wasn't using it to sing, just the melodious flow of the angry words touched him. He had to find this person!

The cursing was getting louder and louder, meaning that he was approaching his destination. Suddenly, the voice stopped, as if the owner had heard his footsteps and was wary of his approach.

The older man, who was wearing a long white coat and a white hat that seemed entirely out of place in the alley, finally turned the corner, coming eye-to-eye with the possible owner of the voice.

He couldn't really say that he was expecting to see a child in rags, though he knew that something must have caused the voice to be so hate-filled. Was this really the owner of that beautiful voice?

The older man bent down to face the young child. His lips, glossed with purple lipstick, carefully bent upwards, presenting a friendly smile.

"Can you say something?" asked the man, hoping to hear that voice again.

"What do you want?" came the sharp retort.

The man's heart leaped. This was the voice he had heard! This child possessed a voice that would do his company wonders. He glanced at the child's long, dirty hair. He believed that with a bit of touching up, this child would be one of great beauty. Promoting the child would easily save his company. Once he saved his company, he would have enough money to pay Eliza's medical fees. It was a wild hope, but hope nonetheless.

But the problem was...would the child accept his proposition? It didn't hurt to try.

"Would you like to become a singer?" His suggestion was blunt, straight to the point. He was never one who darted around the subject, nor was he one to coat his words in honey.

"I..." The child, blinked, apparently not expecting those words from him.

He waited patiently for the child to continue. He didn't elaborate anymore on his words, instead letting the child decide. Maybe that was the reason his company was almost out of business. He never forced any of the people he scouted to become a singer unless they really wanted to. He preferred to make the suggestion and then let them come to the decision themselves.

The child seemed to be weighing the pros and the cons, probably wondering if his words could be trusted. Finally, the child asked, "How much money will I be able to earn?"

The man's answer was plain as well. "As a beginner singer who no one knows about, not much. But if you become popular, you will earn a lot."

The child slowly nodded.

He smiled, relieved. "Thank you. Bones Entertainment will be happy to welcome you. We were looking for the perfect young female to promote. I'm glad I came upon you today." It was the same introduction message that he told every girl he came upon, but he had never felt those words to be so true.

The child's eyes widened slightly. "Young...female?"

The man didn't seem to have noticed the child's fear, his feeling of relief overwhelming him. Here was his chance to save his company and Eliza at the same time. "Anything wrong?" asked the man, after he stood up and the child made no motion to follow.

The child stood up abruptly. "...nothing's wrong."

The man began walking. "Well, introductions then. I'm Faust, owner of Bones Entertainment. Pleased to meet you." The stop in his introduction seemed to indicate that it was time for the child's introductions.

The child didn't reply immediately, glancing up at the sky through the narrow alley between the two, towering buildings. Here was the chance to earn money, to get off the streets. If being able to survive required...cross-dressing, then so be it.

"Hao. My name is Hao."

He wasn't going to throw away this chance!

* * *

**to be continued**

* * *

**A/N:** This fic is inspired by Shoujo Shounen, Full Moon wo Sagashite, and Penguin Revolution (though not based on them). Also inspired by the wondrous voice actors and actresses in SK, namely **Minami Takayama** as Asakura Hao, **Megumi Hayashibara** as Kyoyama Anna, **Horie Yui** as Iron Maiden Jeanne, **Paku Romi** as Tao Ren, **Ueda Yuuji** as Horo Horo, and **Satou Yuko** as Asakura Yoh. Of course, there are countless other talented VA in Mankin, but I will only be focusing on songs from these ppl. XD

**Next chapter:** slipping into the façade

Reviews and constructive criticism appreciated.


	2. chapter 1: slipping into the facade

T W I N – S T A R S

By Lucathia

**A/N:** all people will be referring to Hao as "she" since they don't know the truth. Only the POVs that focus on Hao will refer to Hao as "he."

* * *

**chapter 1: slipping into the façade**

* * *

"Thank you for coming!" yelled the announcer into the microphone. The announcer's voice blasted through the entire auditorium. The crowd cheered enthusiastically, almost drowning out the announcer's next words.

"Now we will start the fourth Spring Sky live concert performed by none other thaaaaan..." The announcer dragged the sentence out, letting the audience finish.

In unison, the crowd shouted.

"KYOYAMA ANNA!"

"Bingo! Correct answer! Now, welcome her in with your cheer!" The announcer held his microphone out to the crowd.

The crowd went crazy, trying to make as much noise as possible. Many yelled at the top of their lungs. Some even cupped their hands around their mouths to project their voices farther.

When the first few notes of the background music started playing, the crowd's cheer became even louder. Their idol was going to make an appearance any moment now!

The lights danced, shining from the stage outwards. Jets of smoke blasted out, cloaking the rising figure of a girl on the stage. She had her back to the crowd, her golden hair glimmering in the light. Slowly, she brought the microphone to her mouth.

"Yomigaere!"

The crowd cheered at the top of their lungs.

Anna finally turned around. Her eyes swept over the audience before she closed them and started singing with all her might.

"Sora to daichi ga-"

Faust turned the television off, his face void of happiness.

Funbari Spirits had gone all out on Anna's recent concerts. The auditorium was fairly large, the lighting was good, the stage was well set up, and the special effects were all there. Faust grimaced. At the present, his company would not even be able to rent an auditorium half that size.

The child that he had found in the streets sat down on the other side of the sofa with one eyebrow raised as she toweled her long hair dry. She had discarded her ragged clothes, now wearing Eliza's old sundress. Faust could already see that the child not only had a good voice, but was also one of physical beauty. The sundress seemed out of place on the child. Perhaps that was because the dress was too big for her?

"Well, that's Kyoyama Anna," said Faust finally, answering Hao's silent question. "She's currently the most popular female singer. Actually, she's currently the most popular singer out of both males and females. As you can see, the company that's promoting her is rich."

To them, Bones Entertainment wasn't a threat at all. He had to admit, however, that being rich wasn't the only advantage Funbari Spirits had over his company. Kyoyama Anna truly was a talented singer.

"Following closely behind Anna is Iron Maiden Jeanne. She has been rising in popularity ever since she started her own radio show to answer incoming questions. She's a good listener and gives good advice, though I am suspicious why some of her rivals in that department have mysteriously been injured."

He more than suspected that it was the work of the X-laws, the company that was promoting Jeanne. Even though Jeanne herself was the very image of an innocent and pure girl, the X-laws were actually cruel and used any means to get what they wanted.

"They're your two main competitors. Are you ready for this?"

Faust focused his attention on the child, who gave a barely perceptible but resolute nod.

Faust smiled.

"Shall we go shopping then?"

Since Faust's mind was already set on buying the best clothes for Hao out of his tight budget, he didn't notice the grimace that spread across Hao's face.

* * *

When they stopped in front of the clothing store displaying stylish clothing for teenage girls, Hao felt like groaning.

Did he really want to do this? The sundress that Faust had given him to wear was already bad enough. He didn't need to look at more of those horrible clothing.

Right when they entered the store, rows upon rows of PINK clothing greeted him. He stared at them, speechless.

Faust pursed his lips and muttered out loud to himself. "Iron Maiden Jeanne is presented as a pure, angelic girl. She wears mostly white, lacey dresses and even brings around an iron casket sometimes." Faust glanced around the store, his eyes passing over the section with clothing similar to Jeanne's. Those wouldn't work. "Kyoyama Anna is presented as a sharp Ice Queen. I don't know why, but many people seem to like her attitude since she seems hard to approach. She wears mostly plain, solid-colored dresses and a red bandanna." He needed to cross out that type of clothing from the list as well. "What kind of image should Hao have? What kind of image would be able to combat those two deeply alluring, deeply ingrained images?"

Hao shrugged, even though Faust wasn't asking him the question.

"As long as it's doesn't include pink, I'm fine," muttered Hao under his breath.

Faust continued musing. "Angel. Ice Queen. The third thing in the list...has to be Devil then."

Hao blinked.

Faust turned to him with a smile. "What do you think?"

Him? Presented as the Devil? That idea didn't seem too bad to him. At least he didn't have to pretend to be some nice, little, obedient girl.

"That's okay with me."

Faust nodded. "Great. Then let's pick out your new clothes."

They headed far away from the rows of pink, thank goodness.

Faust picked out a silky, one-piece black dress with red sleeves. The long sleeves were wide and had web-like cuffs. The hems of the dress held a similar design. Hao glanced at it, unable to imagine himself wearing it.

A flimsy, black dress.

The sad thing was...the dress was much better quality than anything he had ever worn in his lifetime.

He picked out the next set of clothing himself, a simple, short-sleeved black turtle-neck and a pleated black dress. He then picked out a pair of red gloves, a red belt, and some red boots.

Their hands were full by the time they both finished picking out suitable clothing for Hao. Hao almost blushed when they headed towards the lingerie section of the store. He quickly shepherded Faust out of the section, telling the older man that he could pick out his undergarments himself. When Faust protested, Hao muttered "pervert" under his breath, effectively shutting Faust up. Hao was then left on his own to pick out his undergarments.

After the embarrassing scene at the lingerie section, they picked out some long, dark dress pants before Faust announced that they had picked out enough clothes. He barely had enough money to pay for what they were going to buy. They'd have to wait for Hao to rake in some money before they bought more stuff.

Faust quickly paid for the clothing.

Hao was glad when they left the store. He didn't want to step foot in there anytime in the near future. He hoped that he would never have to go there again! He also hoped that these clothes would make him look more like a girl.

After all, he couldn't afford to be suspected otherwise.

* * *

**to be continued**

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**a/n:** Happy Holidays! :)

As to "Bones Entertainment" being similar to "Studio Bones" that does Full Metal Alchemist, that is purely coincidental. I didn't know that beforehand! That's interesting though!

**next chapter:** testing for talent

Please leave a review. :)


	3. chapter 2: testing for talent

T W I N – S T A R S

By Lucathia

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**chapter 2: testing for talent**

* * *

"Anna-sama! Wait!"

The young yet popular singer didn't stop walking, but she did slow down somewhat, allowing the pink-haired girl to catch up with her.

"What is it, Tamao?" asked Anna when the other girl's steps finally matched up with hers.

"Um...Manager Ryu asked me to give this to you."

Anna took the piece of paper that Tamao was holding.

"What's this? Schedule change?" asked Anna with her eyebrows raised. She quickly glanced over her new schedule, noticing that her free time slot was now taken. A recording from another time slot had been moved there.

Tamao nodded. "Yeah...we were going to reserve the recording room at the first time that we marked down on your schedule, but when I went to do that...it was already taken." Tamao lowered her head, her hands clasped in front of her. "I'm sorry!"

Anna waved her hand, dismissing Tamao's apology.

"If only I had tried to reserve the room sooner-" babbled Tamao uncertainly.

"Who reserved the room before us?" The blond-haired girl, even though she didn't need Tamao's apology, wasn't about to let the subject drop altogether yet. She narrowed her eyes at her schedule.

It was almost bound to be the X-Laws. They were always getting in her way. Their lead singer, Iron Maiden Jeanne was such a hypocrite. That girl-

"Um...I think it's Bones Entertainment?" replied Tamao.

Anna raised her eyebrow. Bones Entertainment? That was unexpected...to say the least. After all, the last time she heard of the company, it was about them going out of business. Had they finally found someone to promote after all? She smirked, turning around.

It wasn't like they were going to affect her much.

"Anna-sama, watch out!"

Despite Tamao's warning, all Anna saw was dark brown hair before she got knocked over.

"Oh my gosh, Anna-sama, are you all right?" Tamao quickly knelt down next to her.

Anna blinked hard before she opened her eyes to glare at whoever had the dare to run into her.

She was greeted by the sight of a girl who appeared to be the same age as her. Her long, dark brown hair was pulled into two ponytails with black ribbon. Her lengthy bangs hid most of her face, but Anna could still see how red it was. Anna's eyes flickered over the girl's clothing, growing skeptical when she saw the silky black dress that the girl wore and the pair of devil wings on the girl's back. Not to mention the tail that was sprouting from behind the girl.

The girl either didn't see Anna's glare, after all, her bangs were covering her eyes, or she chose to ignore it. She quickly stood up, smoothed out her dress, mumbled a hard-to-hear apology, and began speeding past Anna and Tamao.

When the girl reached turned the corner, Anna could hear someone talking to her.

"Hao, did you get lost?"

"No...someone ran into me."

Anna fumed. She ran into that girl? Wasn't it the other way around. Nevertheless, Anna let the matter drop as she stood up, refusing to take Tamao's helping hand.

So that girl's name was Hao.

Wasn't that more of a guy's name?

She shrugged to her own question, thinking that the girl's parents must have been really cruel to give her such a name. She instead focused her thoughts on the girl's voice.

Even from the few words that she heard from the girl, Anna could tell that the girl's voice sounded like a young boy's alto. A normal person would probably start wondering that maybe it wasn't a coincidence that the girl had a boy's name, but all Anna was thinking at the moment was that the girl's voice was a very peculiar voice, one that would bound to be very popular.

She had to cross out her previous thought of Bones Entertainment having nothing on her.

She was going to have some fierce competition from now on.

* * *

Hao felt his face warm up as he tried to fix his ponytails. When Faust had mentioned the image of a "devil" for him, he had thought that it wouldn't be that bad. After all, being the devil meant that he would look "evil" right?

Apparently, that was the opposite of what Faust and that damn stylist Pirika had in mind.

When Hao was presented with the mirror, all he could think was...

What the hell?

If it wasn't because he was trying to act somewhat lady-like, he would have swore out loud.

He had donned the silky black dress with wide, multi-layered sleeves without protest. He was fine with that. There was nothing much he could do about that.

But...but what in the world did they do with his hair?

Unable to wrench his eyes from the mirror, he reached a hand towards the two bouncy ponytails that were tied with frilly, black ribbons.

"Um...Faust...I thought my image was supposed to be of the 'devil?'" asked Hao finally, unable to fathom his outlandish appearance. Why was his hair tied up with ribbons? RIBBONS?

Pirika giggled loudly. "It is!"

He felt like turning around and glaring at her. Since when did he ask her? But, he still couldn't take his eyes away from the horrible sight.

Hao stared harder at the mirror. He didn't see how his image was in any way devil-like!

The bubbly blue-haired girl then pointed to the black wings that were sprouting from his back.

Oh. So that was it...

What!

That freaking pair of wings was supposed to make him look like a devil?

"Don't forget that you have a tail to go with the outfit!" added Pirika happily. "You make a very cute devil!"

The girl laughed as she seemed to bounce out of the room.

"Now off to my next victim, oh, I mean customer! Man, I wish Oniichan actually had to appear on screen...then I could dress him up as well!"

Hao was still shocked.

So he wasn't supposed to be an evil devil...but a CUTE one?

Seriously...what kind of mess did he get himself into?

But anyway, that was all in the past now that he was in the recording room. Faust handed him the lyrics to Kyoyama Anna's song, "Oversoul." Hao just stared at it, not reaching out to take them from Faust since he was wondering why Faust was giving those lyrics to him. Faust answered without Hao having to voice his question.

"Since you don't have any songs yourself yet, I want you to try singing this song. I need to hear your singing voice first," explained Faust.

Hao nodded, his two damn ponytails bouncing around, thumping him on the back. He took the lyrics from Faust's hand and glanced over it quickly, saying the words quietly to himself.

The head of the orphanage hadn't liked people singing, so he had no idea how his singing voice would sound. When he sang the song softly to himself, he was surprised at the control he had over his voice. His voice didn't sound bad either.

Faust, it seemed, was very pleased that his intuition about Hao's talents had been correct.

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**to be continued**

* * *

**A/N:** I couldn't help but draw Hao in his outfit (laughs). Anyway, now that HgHd is over, I can finally dedicate some of my time to my other fics, which only made me realize that the reason I had only been working on HgHd was because of my stupid writer's block for all of my other fics. (sweatdrops) It's still there...I can't get over that wall.

**Next up:** "Are you new here? My name's Jeanne." "Yes, I'm new. My name is Ha-wait, never mind, please call me Ha-chan."

Please leave a review. :)


	4. chapter 3: radio show

T W I N – S T A R S

by Lucathia

* * *

**chapter 3: radio show**

* * *

The girl wore a long, fluffy white dress that brushed against her feet. Her vest was laced together with frilly ribbons. Her sleeves covered her arms all the way to her wrist, where a pair of matching ribbons tied the cuffs of the sleeves. Her silvery hair was pulled back in a white bonnet. All in all, she was the very image of modesty that a young girl could ever hope to present.

Exactly what the X-laws had in mind when they decided her image.

Under the faint light in the room behind the "On air" sign, the girl sat at the table, a mountainous pile of postcards and letters scattered in front of her.

When the workers behind the glass pane in the other room gave her the signal to begin, she nodded.

They played a little snippet of her song, "Sono Saki no Justice," as she introduced the radio show.

"Welcome to Iron Maiden Jeanne's Hour of Justice. I shall do my best to answer all questions from the audience!"

The song slowly faded.

She picked up the postcard in front of her, quickly glancing over the contents. She pressed her headphones to her ears and adjusted her microphone absentmindedly. Even though her manager had picked out which postcards he wanted her to read, she still wanted to reread them to familiarize herself with the contents more.

"First we have a question from Oyamada-kun who has recently moved to Izumo. Oyamada-kun says that he is distressed about his new environment and wonders if he will be able to make any new friends."

She paused in her reading, smiling slightly.

"Of course you will make new friends, Oyamada-kun!"

She continued reading. "Oyamada-kun also wonders if he should approach this boy who looks a lot like one of the new singers that he took notice in. Oyamada-kun is hesitant because he is afraid that he is mistaking the boy for someone he isn't."

After finishing reading this "Oyamada-kun's" worries, Jeanne placed the postcard down. She adjusted her microphone once again.

"Don't worry, Oyamada-kun. I'm sure that you can become good friends with this boy, and the fact that he may or may not be a popular idol won't affect your friendship with him."

After saying those words, she picked up another postcard, read it, and tried reassuring whoever sent it. After going through several postcards, her manager signaled that it was about time to stop.

"Minna-san, I'm afraid that it is once again time to end the show. Please look forward to my role in the upcoming show "Fruits Basket." I shall be playing the role of "Honda Tohru." Once again, I'm thankful for everyone's support, and I'll talk to all of you again in the next radio show! Please tune in at the same time next Wednesday!"

Another one of her songs began playing as she took her headset off.

* * *

She stepped out of the sound proof room, glad to be out of the poorly lit room. Her tall, intimidating, glasses-wearing manager stepped out from the door next to her, offering her a bottle of water.

She gingerly accepted the bottle, eager to let the cool liquid soothe her parched throat.

"Thank you, Marco."

"Anything, Jeanne-sama."

As she drank the water, she glanced around, taking note of the absence of a certain, green haired boy.

"Lyserg-kun didn't come today?" she asked, unable to restrain her curiosity.

Marco pushed his glasses up his nose. "He came. He went to the vending machine to grab something to drink."

"Ah, okay." She smiled as she capped the bottle. "May I go after him?"

Her manager seemed to stiffen at her words, but he still answered nonetheless.

"Of course you may, Jeanne-sama."

"Thank you for being so understanding, Marco."

If one thought about it, it was strange that such a towering blonde-haired man wearing an equally threatening trench coat was calling such a timid, young girl "Jeanne-sama." It was truly mind-boggling, but it just showed that the young girl held much more power over her manager than anyone would have imagined possible.

* * *

She walked briskly towards the vending machine, eager to chat with Lyserg. He had said that he was going to visit her once he had the time. Lyserg, like Jeanne herself, had been one of the people that Marco wanted to promote. However, once Lyserg started going through a voice change as every boy was prone to experience, he couldn't sing for quite a long time. Marco had all but given up on Lyserg's singing career at that point, opting to throw Lyserg into modeling instead. Once the magazines grabbed hold of Lyserg, they wouldn't let go of him. Jeanne found that she rarely saw her friend nowadays. He was that busy.

So, imagine her disappointment when she didn't immediately spot her green-haired friend when the vending machines came into view. Instead, she saw someone that she didn't know very well standing in front of the vending machines.

The girl had her arms crossed as she glared at the vending machine. Jeanne's eyes trailed over the girl's black tights which hugged her legs soundly. Thankfully, she wore a black mini-skirt over the tights, or else Jeanne would have cried out at the girl's indecency. As it was, it was already bad enough. The girl wore a black, feathery vest that was zipped up but didn't bother to wear a long-sleeved shirt underneath the vest. Her two long ponytails dangled behind her, swinging around as she kicked the vending machine with her black boots. Her star earrings flashed dangerously in the light.

"Damn piece of machinery! F!k&!g eating up my coins!"

Jeanne frowned at the girl's language, but she didn't comment on it.

"It's not nice to kick at the inanimate," she said instead.

The girl turned around, surprised that someone saw her. She quickly schooled her expression into a smile, albeit a bit forced.

Jeanne walked up to the machine, opening her money pouch and pulling out two coins. She inserted them into the machine.

"Now what did you want to get?"

The girl scowled as she pressed the button for iced tea. The carton easily tumbled out of the machine. She knelt down to retrieve it, poking the straw through the carton harshly.

Jeanne studied the girl, whose name somehow escaped her mind. She knew that this girl was the newcomer that Bones Entertainment was trying to promote, but since this was the first time that she had actually met the girl, she couldn't seem to remember her name. Well, time to amend that.

"I'm Jeanne," she said as she extended a hand out to her newest adversary.

The girl hesitated before taking her hand.

"My name is Ha-"

The girl paused, as if suddenly remembering something that she wasn't supposed to say.

"Please call me Ha-chan," she said instead.

Jeanne shook Ha-chan's hand, wondering how this new singer was going to affect her career. Already, the magazines and newspapers had been going crazyover this new girl. The girl's first single was creepy but still popular. Jeanne knew she was going to have to try harder if she even wanted to retain her solid position at second place.

Nevertheless, she smiled at the newcomer.

"Yoroshiku, Ha-chan."

* * *

**to be continued**

* * *

**Next up:** "We have a new transfer student today. Asakura-kun, why don't you show Oyamada-kun around campus?"

Reviews appreciated! :)


	5. chapter 4: transfer student

T W I N – S T A R S

by Lucathia

* * *

**chapter 4: transfer student**

* * *

"Blah blah blah blah blah," said the teacher, who was walking around the room with her book flipped to some random page. For all Yoh knew, the teacher could have been holding her book upside down with all the nonsense that she was spouting.

"Blah blah blah."

Asakura Yoh sighed, laying his head on the table instead. Why did he decide to come anyway?

School was dreadfully boring and utterly useless.

He could have been outside watching the clouds. He could have been weaving the most wonderful stories about the little lives that the clouds led. See, cloud one and cloud two met each other in the sky and slowly fell in love. Together, they traveled around the world and met other cloud families. One cloud family had lots of cloud oranges that they so kindly shared. The other cloud family had lots of cloud CDs...

He sighed again.

"Blah blah blah!" screamed the teacher.

He closed his eyes, ignoring the blahs.

Whoever sat behind him poked him in the back.

"Pst, Asakura! Wake up! The teacher's calling you!"

Groggily, he cracked open one eye, only to see the teacher slamming her book shut, almost about to chuck it at him.

"Asakura Yoh! How dare you sleep in my class!"

Who knew how many times the teacher had screeched those words before. She probably screamed the exact same words at least once every time that Yoh came to class. If, say, Yoh came to class four days a week, and school went on for ten months in all, then she most likely yelled, "Asakura Yoh! How dare you sleep in my class," one hundred and sixty times a year. How wonderful.

Upon hearing the teacher's complaints, Yoh slowly sat up, rubbing his cheeks where the table left its mark on him.

"Sorry," he said, though he didn't sound very apologetic. He folded his arms behind his head, opting to lean back in his chair since he wasn't allowed to have his head down.

Exasperated, the teacher continued. "You didn't hear a word I said, did you?"

"Um...nope."

The teacher sighed. What could she possibly do to remedy Asakura-kun's lack of interest in school? His grandparents were such a bad an influence on him. They totally spoilt the boy, making him into a monster of a student to teach. Actually, it was more problematic that the boy didn't even seem to find anything interesting at all. Since she had started teaching at Izumo Middle School last Spring, she had not once seen Asakura-kun eat lunch with the other students or chat amiably with them during free periods. Asakura-kun clearly needed a friend his own age. Hopefully, having a friend like that would spark Asakura-kun's interest in the rest of the world.

Since all of the other students at Izumo had formed their little groups already, it would be hard for them to let Asakura-kun into their tightly knitted groups. But...this new transfer student next to her was an entirely different case. Maybe...just maybe...

She almost smiled as she said her next words. "We have a new transfer student today. Asakura-kun, why don't you show Oyamada-kun around campus?"

Surprised, Yoh ran what the teacher had said through his head once again. Transfer student? Who would ever want to transfer to some unknown school in Izumo? It was then that he finally noticed the extremely short boy that was standing next to the teacher. The short boy, presumably Oyamada-kun, was shuffling his feet nervously and hugging a large book of some sort close to himself.

Yoh shrugged. "Okay...I guess."

At least it was something out of the norm. Life was getting a bit boring.

* * *

Manta had one weird hobby.

Well...maybe weird wasn't the right word to describe it. More like...fanatical.

When Manta heard the rumor that famous Kyoyama Anna came from Izumo...well, he had no choice but to move to Izumo!

And then...

When Manta discovered that he was put into the same class as the boy he had saw the day before, he couldn't help but become extremely excited. Not over Kyoyama Anna, but rather over this Asakura-kun. Yesterday, Manta had been walking towards the office to finish arranging his transfer when he saw Asakura-kun for the first time. Manta almost couldn't believe what he saw.

The boy looked almost exactly like Ha-chan, the newest female singer from Bones Entertainment. Ever since Manta heard her first song, he had felt chilled to the bones. He desperately wanted to get to know her better. It was an impossible desire, given the fact that she was famous while he was a nobody...

However, since Ha-chan was a teenager just like him, there was a slight chance that he'd be able to transfer into the same school that she went to. A very slight chance, but Manta was now wondering whether his chance had come.

Was this Asakura-kun that the teacher assigned to show him around campus really Ha-chan in disguise?

Asakura-kun's hair wasn't exactly short, nor was it long. It certainly wasn't as long as Ha-chan's hair, but a wig could easily fix that problem. Asakura-kun's skin was also darker than Ha-chan's. Still, Manta believed that the lighting in photos could probably contribute to the difference in skin color. These tiny differences in appearance weren't big enough for Manta to dismiss his suspicions.

The real problem was...Ha-chan was a girl...and this Asakura-kun was not...a girl.

Manta had been so concerned about Asakura-kun's identity that he had written Iron Maiden Jeanne for advice. She told him that the other boy's identity didn't matter and wouldn't damage their friendship. Manta wouldn't call Asakura-kun his friend yet, since they had only just met, but Manta still felt soothed by Jeanne's words.

Even though Manta couldn't quite quell his fear of asking Asakura-kun the truth, even though if he were wrong in his assumptions, it'd be a big embarrassment for the both of them, Manta still had to ask.

"This is where you can watch the clouds," said Asakura-kun.

Manta blinked.

"Huh?"

He clearly had not been paying attention. They were now surrounded by blue skies and a wide expanse of grass. Since when had they finished touring the inside of the school?

Asakura-kun repeated what he had said without changing his words. "This is where you can watch the clouds."

"Um...that's nice," replied Manta. Cloud-watching was far from what was on Manta's mind.

He suddenly realized that he didn't know the other boy's name except that the teacher called him "Asakura-kun." Self-introductions had totally slipped his mind. Since Asakura-kun had been spacing out during class, Manta was pretty sure that the other boy didn't know his name either.

Manta smiled nervously. "Eto, I know I'm kind of late in saying this, but I'm Oyamada Manta. Thanks for showing me around."

The other boy kicked a stone out of the way. "Ah, no problem. I'm Asakura Yoh."

Manta's eyes shot up, the gears in his head spinning at an alarming speed.

"Yoh?"

Yoh nodded. "Yoh, that's right. Anything wrong?"

Manta was sure of it. This "Yoh" had to be Ha-chan in disguise. After all, "Yoh" was just another pronunciation for "Ha."

Ha-chan, the master of disguise.

"Do you sing?" asked Manta hurriedly.

Yoh frowned. "Uh...I guess I practice a lot." Anna practically forced him to practice singing everyday.

Manta laughed, feeling giddy that he was most likely the first to figure out Ha-chan's secret.

Ha-chan stayed undercover as a boy at her school.

* * *

**to be continued**

* * *

A/N: Sorry Manta. (sweatdrops)

**Next up: **"Um...what are you doing, Yoh-kun?" "Changing, what else?"

Feedback appreciated.


	6. chapter 5: dreadful locker room

T W I N – S T A R S

by Lucathia

* * *

**chapter 5: dreadful locker room**

* * *

It was rare for him to go to school so often without skipping at least one day of the week. Usually, he liked taking his Fridays off to laze about on the hill behind the school that overlooked the entire Asakura estate. On that hill, he had a good view of the inner courtyard and the outer buildings, and it was easy to see when people came to visit and when they left. This was beneficial, especially when he wanted to avoid a deadly meeting with a certain blond-haired fiancée of his. He also had a great view of the sky, so he wasn't short on ideas for his weekly stories about the clouds. However, this week was clearly out of the norm, for Asakura Yoh did not even skip one day of class.

It was so unexpected of him that when his homeroom teacher saw him sitting in his usual seat, she did a double-take.

It wasn't Yoh who noticed her surprise. Rather, it was the new student, Oyamada Manta. "Is something wrong, Sensei?" he asked. He sat in the second-to-last row, diagonally behind Yoh's seat. He was probably the only one who saw his teacher's surprise, although he didn't immediately connect the reason for her surprise with Yoh's showing up to class. After all, Manta had just transferred in and mostly likely did not know Yoh's tendency of skipping class.

"Iie...nothing's wrong." She smiled a little as she continued on with the role call. Even though that was what she said, the question of why Asakura actually came to class was on her mind throughout the entire lesson. Even when class was about to end, the thought was still on her mind.

It wasn't until she was putting away her papers when she realized that maybe Oyamada Manta had something to do with this. If so, her hope that the two could become friends probably came true.

Her musings were certainly on the right track.

Every day that week, Manta's parting words to Yoh had been, "See you at school tomorrow, Yoh-kun!" Upon hearing those words, how could Asakura Yoh not go to school? How could he break his promise to his newly found friend?

At the moment, Manta was putting away his books, about to make his way to the locker room to change for their physical education class. Since the school was quite small, the girls didn't have their own locker rooms and had to use the classroom to change instead. So when Yoh started following Manta out of the classroom, Manta's face became scrunched up in confusion.

But on second thought, Yoh was pretending to be a guy, so it made sense that he at least put up the pretense of not changing in the classroom. Manta tried to console himself with that idea.

However, when Manta arrived at the locker room, Yoh was still behind him, and he had every intention to follow Manta into the locker room.

A wave of gut-twisting nervousness swept over Manta.

What the heck was Yoh-kun thinking? Was he going to take his act that far?

Nevertheless, Manta refrained from saying anything, his hands sweating all the while. He did his best to keep silent, to ignore Yoh-kun's presence as he opened his locker and placed his bag inside. He moved extra slowly, hoping that Yoh would leave at some point. His eyes widened when a classmate next to him started taking his shirt off.

Determined, Manta inched in front of his classmate, trying to block the unsightly view from Yoh. The only thing was...Manta was short beyond short. Even when he teetered on the tip of his toes, he didn't manage to block a darn thing.

Yoh, oblivious to Manta's concerns, hummed softly as he tossed his stuff into the locker. As he brushed stray hairs out of his collar, he glanced in Manta's direction.

"Eh, what are you doing Manta?"

Even though his legs shaking like crazy and his toes were dying, Manta forced a weak smile to his face.

"Um...exercising?"

Yoh's hands moved towards the bottom button on his shirt. "Oh, okay. But our class hasn't started yet. Don't need to tire yourself out yet."

Manta felt that he had done a good job of keeping cool. He truly did. After all, he hadn't freaked out yet, right? But watching Yoh-kun slowly unbutton his shirt was a bit too much for him to handle.

When Yoh's hands wavered over the last button on his shirt, Manta couldn't stand it any longer. He blurted out the very same words Yoh-kun had asked him not more than a minute ago.

"W-what are you doing, Yoh-kun?"

Yoh was utterly confused by Manta's question.

"Changing, what else?"

The thought of, "this cannot be true, this cannot be true," ran through Manta's mind like a mantra.

Yoh, still not noticing Manta's nervousness, shrugged his shirt off, revealing his smooth, pale skin.

Suddenly, the ground seemed to be getting closer to him, or was he actually falling forward? In other words, Manta fainted.

Yoh blinked.

He ended up having to drag Manta to the school infirmary with no idea what was wrong with his new friend.

* * *

When he came back to the world of the living, the first sight he saw was that of Yoh-kun leaning against his bed. He was half-dressed in his P.E. shirt and half-dressed in his normal school slacks. The white curtains behind him billowed softly as a cool draft blew through the partly opened window.

Manta wasn't blind, though he had tried to trick himself into believing something that wasn't true. Yoh-kun was a boy, and as a boy, that meant that Yoh-kun wasn't Ha-chan after all. So much for feeling elated over transferring into the same school as that of a rising idol.

But despite the fact that Yoh-kun wasn't Ha-chan, Manta wasn't as disappointed as he thought he'd be. Yoh-kun was Yoh-kun, and Manta liked him for that. His carefree attitude had grown on him in the short time that they've known each other, and somehow Manta couldn't imagine replacing the Yoh-kun he knew with some female idol that he had never met before.

"...Manta, you awake again?" slurred Yoh as he woke up from his nap. He yawned widely, barely covering his mouth.

Manta nodded, unable to meet Yoh's eyes. He twisted the white bed sheets, hoping that something could break the awkwardness that he felt.

Yoh pulled himself up, ruffling his hair as he did so. "Guess I'll head back to class then."

Manta frowned. "You're not going to ask me anything?"

The other boy paused at the doorway, shrugging before he closed the door.

Faced with the closed infirmary door, Manta couldn't help but wonder how he had made such a good friend without realizing it. He really must have been blind.

He noticed his book bag slumped on the chair against the wall. Yoh-kun must have snatched it out of his locker for him. Manta glanced at the magazine that was sticking out of his bag. Even though he had given up on the idea that Yoh-kun could be Ha-chan, he was still curious about their resemblance. Maybe...they were related? Only one way to find out...

* * *

Before Yoh left for the day, Manta managed to gather enough courage to pull Yoh towards the side. Yoh was a bit surprised that Manta was already out of the infirmary, not that he wasn't pleased that his friend had recovered so quickly.

"Yoh-kun, can I show you something?"

Yoh nodded, wondering just what it was that Manta wanted to show him.

Smiling nervously, Manta pulled out a magazine.

And on the cover was none other than a full-blown photo of Ha-chan.

That was how Yoh found out about Ha-chan's existence.

* * *

**to be continued**

* * *

**Next up:** "Anna-sama, Bones Entertainment is going to hold a mini-concert soon." "Pft. Who's singing? Ha-chan? There's something fishy about her...and I'll be the one to reveal it!"

Feedback appreciated!


	7. chapter 6: growing suspicion

T W I N – S T A R S

by Lucathia

* * *

**chapter 6: growing suspicion**

* * *

Hao was not happy.

More precisely, he was more than a little annoyed.

If he attempted to make a list of all the things that were making him pissed off at the moment, he could probably fill an entire piece of paper front and back. His impacted schedule, his uncomfortable shoes, his having to watch every word that came out of his mouth...the list went on. But, the most prominent reason had to be Kyoyama Anna's suspicious glares in his direction. He could have sworn that that girl had something against him that he didn't know about. It couldn't have been because of his running into her on his first day at the studio. He had apologized after all...and she'd be one petty woman if she were still upset over that.

Hao was frustrated because try as he might, he couldn't think of why or how he had upset the blond.

It wasn't his fault that he only seemed to be able to antagonize everyone. Take Kyoyama Anna for example. Hao was sure that for some odd reason, she hated his guts. Iron Maiden Jeanne didn't seem to have that great of a first impression of him either. After all, she had seen him kicking at a vending machine and swearing under his breath. Her reaction? Haughtily buying him a drink without even asking him if he wanted it. Not exactly the best way to make friends.

He stared at his reflection, barely recognizing the former penniless boy in rags underneath all the pampering he had received. He had sneaked off from the orphanage without telling anyone his plans. He hadn't even said goodbye to the young African girl Opacho, who had relied on him so often, or even to the rare friends that he had found among a dark-haired, Indian boy Nichrome, or to the three girls who referred to themselves as the Hanagumi. Strange how they were a such a mix of different cultures...from African, to Indian, to German, to Italian, to English, and lastly...himself, Japanese. Was he really Japanese though? He certainly looked the part...but he would probably never know for sure.

Were they looking for him? Did they even miss him?

He glanced at his reflection again, scowling. He had never ever imagined himself wearing mini-skirts when he had sneaked off from the orphanage hoping to escape having to wear hand-me-downs. He would never live this down if anyone back from the orphanage saw him as he was now. He hoped against all hope that news of the rising singer "Ha-chan" wouldn't travel that far. It was a good thing that he had remembered in the nick of time that revealing his true name to the masses wasn't such a good idea. At least, only Faust knew his real name at the moment, and when Hao had told him that he wanted to keep his name a secret, Faust had agreed without prying too much.

Unbeknownst to Hao however, Faust wasn't the only one who knew his true name. Someone else had heard Faust using Hao's name before Hao had decided to keep it a secret, and that someone was none other than the sharp-witted Kyoyama Anna.

"Scowling at your reflection isn't going to make you look prettier," said Anna sarcastically as she passed by. "You're just wasting time."

Hao bristled, though he refrained from opening his mouth and retorting. His mouth became pressed into a thin line instead.

If there was one thing that Hao was most proud of, it was his appearance, and especially his hair. There was no way that he would forgive Kyoyama for her insult to him.

His lips curled up as an idea formulated in his head.

Should he call it...mission: make Kyoyama Anna's life miserable?

* * *

There was something about off about Ha-chan that irked her. For one, Ha-chan had appeared out of nowhere. Anna went to a prestigious school that many promising idols and soon-to-be idols attended. Despite her long stay in the academy, she had not once heard about a girl named Ha-chan.

Even more alarming was the similarity between Ha-chan's appearance and Yoh's.

Anna knew that Yoh was an only child.

Right?

Right.

They couldn't be related.

She had even suspected that Yoh was pulling a trick on her but had quickly dismissed that suspicion. "Ha-chan" just didn't give her the same feeling as Yoh did. Besides, Anna had called Yoh up in front of Ha-chan to double check. She had felt relieved when she heard Yoh's cheerful voice over the phone. She didn't know how she would react if she had found out that Yoh was...crossdressing and lying to her about his identity.

Anna plopped down on her bed in the dorms. Her roommate and part-time manager, Tamao, sat at her desk at the opposite end of the room. She was going through her planner, jotting down notes about Anna's schedule for the upcoming week. A bouquet of flowers lay at the side of her desk.

Tamao paused in her writing as she glanced in Anna's direction. "Anna-sama, you have a recording first thing in the morning on Monday. Shall I tell the school that you won't be able to make it for morning classes?"

The blond-haired girl folded her arms across her chest. "Go ahead."

Hadn't she heard Faust call the girl, "Hao?" Had she heard wrong? Was it her real name? If so, why was she hiding it behind a silly name like "Ha-chan?" Maybe...this was a clue to the mystery of Ha-chan.

Tamao nodded, indicating in her planner that she needed to call the school. As she shut her planner, the ribbon from the flower bouquet got stuck in the metal rings spiraling on the side of her planner. Her cheeks suddenly matched the pink of the flowers she was referring to. "O-oh, um...Anna-sama, the m-model Tao R-Ren left you f-f-flowers. Um...should I get another vase out?"

Anna glanced at the fancy bouquet next to Tamao's hand and then at the single flower in the vase next to the window. The flower in the vase was from one of her fans that she didn't know personally, but she had kept it so that her room wouldn't look too dreary.

One flower was enough.

"Toss them out," said Anna nonchalantly.

She had no need for Tao Ren's flowers. It wasn't like she was ever going to accept his advances.

"B-but, they're so p-pretty...Anna-sama," protested Tamao. She eyed the flowers sadly.

Anna glanced at the bouquet again and then at Tamao's pleading look. She pursed her lips. "Fine, just keep the flowers out of my sight."

Tamao nodded, relieved that the flowers weren't going to go to waste. "Um...I'll make dry-pressed flowers out of them! Is that okay, Anna-sama?"

"Do whatever you want with them," said Anna as she lay down, staring at the ceiling.

Why did Tao Ren waste his time with her? She had made it clear to him that she was NOT INTERESTED. How thick could he be?

Maybe it was time for her to pay Yoh a visit. Keeping him out of sight for so long wasn't a very good idea. Besides, she wanted to ask him if he knew anything about Ha-chan. With that thought in mind, Anna swung her legs off her bed and headed over towards her closet.

She needed to camouflage herself first.

"Anna-sama, eto...Bones Entertainment is going to hold a mini-concert soon."

"Pft. Who's singing? Ha-chan?" asked Anna, disbelief all over her face.

Tamao nodded hesitantly.

Anna pulled open her closet door forcefully. "There's something fishy about her...and I'll be the one to reveal it!"

* * *

**to be continued**

* * *

**Next up: **"Oneesan, do you really think this is okay?" "Of course! Now go out and show them what it means to be a Tao!"

Reviews appreciated! :)


	8. chapter 7: the models

T W I N – S T A R S

by Lucathia

* * *

**chapter 7: the models**

* * *

Girls loved him.

That much was evident from the mountainous stack of fan letters piled in front of him. Pink clearly dominated the pile, though an occasional white or baby blue letter peeked out from the pile. The pile even gave off a slight scent of perfume. These two factors alone were enough to indicate that his fan base was mostly female. And as a rising, male model, that was something he should be delighted about. However, he wasn't smiling.

Despite all the attention he received, there was one person who downright refused to acknowledge him. That made all the fangirls who obsessed over him almost irrelevant.

That one person was no other than the cold, stoic singer, Kyoyama Anna.

No matter how many flowers he sent her, no matter how many times he tried to get her to go on a date with him, no matter what he said to her, no matter what he did, all she did was ignore him.

The more she played hard to get, the more determined he was to win her over.

Tao Ren frowned as he picked up a random letter. It was filled with round, cursive writing with hearts dotting the "i's". There was no way he would be able to read through all this garbage. He threw the letter back into the pile.

"Bason, take care of this."

Ren gave a nod toward the pile. Immediately, his tall, faithful manager readied his pen to write the reply letters for him.

The Chinese boy propped his legs on the table in front of him, uncaring about the fact that in doing so, he scattered several fan letters on the ground.

Bason always ended up picking up the letters.

* * *

"Wow, you look very sharp in that!" exclaimed Jun. She clapped her hands in front of her, wisps of her jade-green hair falling out of their clasp.

Ren stepped out of the changing room as he gave a slight tug at the black jacket he wore. The cuffs of the sleeves were furry, as was the collar. He was given a pair of dark navy slacks to go along with the jacket.

"Oneesan, you really think this is okay?" asked Ren. He glanced at himself in the mirror, slouching slightly to see how the clothes fit on him.

"Of course! Now go out and show them what it means to be a Tao!" Jun gave him a wide smile, one that Ren, of course, couldn't resist.

* * *

The two workers heaved a sigh of relief as they finally dropped the black sofa in the right place. They had spent the entire morning moving things around the set. In addition to the sofa, they had to move a marble dining table, a set of tall candles, a floor lamp, a footrest, and even a wall scroll. The sofa and the dining table were by far the heaviest and hardest to move. At least the photographers would be using the same set for the next three days.

They glanced up as the arrogant Tao Ren strolled into the room as if he owned the place.

"Still not done with setups?" asked the golden-eyed boy somewhat disbelievingly as he plopped onto the black sofa that they had just placed down. "I thought you guys would be done by now."

Ball Boy, nicknamed for his shining and bald round head, wanted to punch the smirking model in the face, though he should probably leave punching to his coworker, Muscle Punch. Besides, leaving a mark on a model's face only spelled trouble...maybe a punch in the gut then...or a kick in the shins...

"We're done. On time too," said Muscle Punch, cutting into Ball Boy's daydreams. As the eldest of eleven brothers, he had learned the importance of being responsible sometime during the span of getting stepped on in the pit of the idol industry. He quickly pulled Ball Boy away, in case he planned on doing something stupid.

Ren just waved the two away as he settled back to wait for the other person he was supposedly working with to make an appearance.

As Ball Boy and Muscle Punch hustled out of the room, they ran into a short kid.

"Ow!" exclaimed the kid dressed in angelic white, falling backwards from the impact

Ball Boy's eyes widened, his hands waving in the air frantically.

"I'm sorry!" He quickly helped the pretty kid up, offering his beefy hand. In Ball Boy's eyes, this kid was extremely pretty. Dainty fingers. Pale skin. A small mouth. Soft, green hair. Large, imploring eyes. Long, fluttering eyelashes. T-The girl of his dreams! He could see the bubbles floating around the air as their eyes locked on with each other.

Of course, Ball Boy's image of one Lyserg Diethyl was a bit screwed. It was all his imagination, after all.

Muscle Punch poked one of the bubbles, which burst immediately.

"Ano...eto..." the kid tried to worm out of Ball Boy's strong grip. "I'm in a hurry for a shooting. I'm kind of late..."

Muscle Punch pulled Ball Boy away from the kid, hustling them towards the door. On the way out, he whispered, "Man, that kid's out of your league. Must be another one of those models."

Ball Boy, however, was still lost in his daydream, still savoring the feeling of holding those small hands in his own.

* * *

Ren glanced at the white-clad newcomer, who quickly bowed to the lead photographers.

"I'm sorry I'm late!"

Ren noticed that the newcomer was wearing a white top covered with soft feathers and a pair of white pants to go along with it. It looked...very effeminate in Ren's opinion. Hadn't Bason mentioned that the person he was working with was a guy? He shook his head, not very amused. He wondered how many girls this newcomer and swooned over with his _bishounen_ appearance.

Silva twisted one of his many rings as he always did without thinking. "Oh, don't worry too much, Lyserg-kun. Ren just came a minute earlier than you, so we weren't waiting too long. I see you've already changed too, so are you ready to start?"

Lyserg nodded enthusiastically.

"Hai!"

The tall phtographer nodded, motioning for Ren to come over.

"Okay, introductions first," said Silva. "As both of you know, I'm Silva, the lead photographer. You two are going to be the lead models for our magazine _Spirit._" He stopped, waiting for the two to introduce themselves to each other.

Ren rolled his eyes. "I'm Tao Ren. If you haven't heard of me by now, then I don't know where you've been."

If Lyserg felt offended by Ren's attitude, he certainly didn't show it with his bright smile. "I'm Lyserg Diethyl. Pleased to meet you too." He held out his hand for Ren to shake.

Ren reluctantly shook Lyserg's hand. It wasn't as if he was looking forward to working with this green-haired idiot on this project. Damn it. Tao Ren always did solo projects. To think that he had to share his fame this time around...inconceivable!

Silva tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear before he fixed the camera's position. "Okay, for our first photo, I would like you two to stand back to back next to the floor lamp. Ren, why don't you stand on the left and Lyserg to the right?"

The two boys made their way over to the lamp. Ren folded his arms across his chest, his mouth set in a small frown, his eyes glaring. Lyserg stood slightly to the side, his lips turned up in a slight smile. All in all, they contrasted each other wonderfully, and Silva's heart was pounding in excitement from that thought.

"Okay, good pose! Hold it!" Silva snapped a few photos before asking them to do a few poses sitting down. They followed Silva's orders. Ren sat down next to the coffee table, one leg propped up. Lyserg sat down next to Ren, leaning his back against the other boy and tilting his head away from the camera.

They soon lost count of how many photos Silva took of them, but if felt as if the camera lights were flashing nonstop. One photo saw Ren sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed and Lyserg on the floor, resting his head and arms on the sofa and gazing towards Ren. Another photo saw the two of them sitting at the table with one lit candle, the light flickering between them. All in all, Silva deemed the session a success.

"Arigatou gozaimasu! It was a pleasure working with you." Lyserg bowed down deeply.

Ren glowered, but refrained voicing his displeasure aloud. As much as he didn't want to, he had to admit that Lyserg had skill. Ren just hoped that the spotlight hadn't already been stolen from him.

* * *

**to be continued**

* * *

**Next up:** "I'm Horo Horo!" exclaimed the boy, trying to ignore what Hao had just did. "And I'm a voice actor!"

Please review!

(Also, I have posted the prequel to Hoshi ga Hoshii desu! Please check it out, ne?)


	9. chapter 8: blue like the sky

T W I N – S T A R S

by Lucathia

* * *

**chapter 8: blue like the sky**

* * *

He yawned widely, covering his mouth with his free hand, one eye nearly closed. In his other hand, he held the script that had his lines for the role he was currently cast in. He skimmed the lines with his half-opened eye. The more he read of the lines, the more awake he became. He read the lines out loud, laughing at some of them, marveling at how he always ended up with the fun characters.

"I'm a wonderful prince-like oniichan. I'm a wonderful prince-like oniichan. I'm a wonderful prince-like oniichan. I'm a wonderful prince-like oniichan. I'm a wonderful prince-like-"

"Oniichan?" questioned a sudden voice from behind him.

He jumped, his heart leaping up his throat. He turned around and saw the his own sky blue hair sported on the person behind him. His sister was dressed in her usual pink jacket and a pair of shorts. She had a large bag under her arms, which was probably full of cosmetics.

"Oh, it's just you Pirika." He tugged at his headband out of habit. "For one second there, I thought that Kirimi had appeared behind me!" He laughed at his own words, though he wasn't very relaxed, given the expression on his sister's face.

Pirika, not very amused, shook her hand at him.

"You're late, you know. Have you read through your lines yet? You better not be trying to do that last minute again!"

Horo Horo slapped his script against his palm as he continued with his nervous laughs. His sister always seemed to see right through his habits. "No worries!" he winged. "Of course I have! I've just been going over it again just now."

His younger sister just looked at him distrustfully, but he waved it away as mere sisterly concern. She sighed at his lack of worry. "I can't always be looking after you! I have my own job to do after all" Which, Horo Horo thought, was evident from the large bag she was holding.

"Yeah yeah, I know!" He unrolled his script, glancing through it again. "You don't have to nag at me so much. I love my job, so you don't have to worry about me skipping out on it!"

And what he said was true. Entirely true.

Horo Horo loved being a voice actor.

He loved being able to give voice to those animated characters, who, without him, would be mute and much less interesting. When characters came to him, they became alive with a fervor that was hard to match. He took pride in his work.

Pirika jostled her cosmetic bag, trying to get a better hold of it. "Well, I better be going then. I have a few people's makeup to do!"

"And so, who's your victim this time around?" he asked, glad that the spotlight was away from him now.

Pirika giggled, glad that her brother had asked. "Ha-chan!" she supplied, apparently eager to share the information.

Ha-chan? Horo Horo, since he was a voice actor, which he considered a more behind-the-scenes type of job, wasn't like those singers or actors or models who showed up on the front page of magazines and in front of crowds, so he wasn't exactly familiar with all the other celebrities. Though, because of his sister's job, he was familiar with mostly anyone who was ever subject to Pirika's handling, so it was strange that he didn't recognize this particular one.

"You know, that new singer from Bones Entertainment?" supplied Pirika at his apparent confusion. "She's really quite something. I mean, sometimes, she can out-scowl Tao Ren. Other times, she can give glares even deadlier than those from Kyoyama Anna. And a few times, I've seen her smile so sweetly that she could even give Iron Maiden Jeanne a run for her money! And, have you heard her sing? It's gives you chills! She's that good!"

"Wow, she certainly sounds like an interesting character!" he exclaimed, amused at his sister's enthusiasm and gossip. The more amusing the people she styled for, the more into her job she became. Horo Horo felt a twinge of pity for Ha-chan, since she was going to be subject to the most intense makeover ever, given how fired up Pirika was about the entire thing.

As he made his way over to the recording room, he glanced down at his lines, continuing from where he left off. "I'm not scared of the light!" He yelled, hands up in the air. "Evil beam! On myself!" As he entered the room, he grinned sheepishly at the people who had swiveled around to shush him.

* * *

"And so, what are we here for today?" asked Hao as he stifled a yawn. Lately, he hadn't been getting much sleep due to his long hours of practicing, which gave him extremely little time to plan for ways to make Kyoyama Anna's life miserable. He doubted that Faust would lend a hand in his plans either, so he was alone in his mission. These long hours weren't good for his complexion.

He propped his hands on the desk, head tilted, waiting for Faust's reply.

"You have two singles so far," murmured Faust, his hands twitching, probably itching to run it through his dear Eliza's hair, who, unfortunately, was still in the hospital. "And although we scheduled a mini-concert for you, two singles isn't enough for a concert."

"Ah, but you're the one who scheduled the concert. It's your fault," pointed out Hao. He could feel a scowl coming, but he quickly put a damper on that feeling because scowling too much would cause permanent wrinkles. Instead, he just stared up at Faust with a slight frown on his face.

"I don't understand. What do you want me to do?" He asked in a confused voice, trying to remedy his harsh tone from before.

There, he should be the exact image of a puzzled little girl. Ick.

But, miraculously, Faust seemed to buy it. His expression was hard to read through his thick makeup, especially with those impassive eyes, but Hao could still detect the slight crinkling around the corner of his eyes that indicated that Faust was starting to smile, trying to reassure him. And soon enough, the smile became apparent.

"You'll just have to talk a bit more than usual," answered Faust. "This is a very good chance to for people to get to know you."

At that moment, the door opened, and in bounded the airheaded, bubbly blue-haired girl with a voice that grated his ears. Now, he truly did feel like scowling.

"Moooorning everyone!" beamed the girl, her cosmetic bag held high in front of her. "Ready for some fun?"

Hao found that if he wanted to, he could truly bring himself to hate the color blue. It wasn't natural, not on someone's head. It was probably the source of her bubbliness.

He would never be ready for what she termed 'some fun.'

* * *

Later that day when rehearsals were finally over, Hao found himself in the lounge where the air conditioning was on full blast. He schooled his expression back into one of quiet amusement, the one that should had always been present on his face, when all he wanted to do was question who the heck thought that it would be a good idea to have the air conditioning on when it was damn freezing cold? The scowls and the frowns and the glares, those were mere slips out of character for him. He needed to put them away. This idol business was making him lose his calm. He needed to calm down and relax, and take control of the situation instead of the other way around.

He took in deep breaths, thinking to himself, if nothing else, he should find a wide expanse of sky. If it were still bright outside he'd content himself to watching clouds. If it were already night, he'd count the stars instead. It always helped calm him down. Anything was better than staying cooped up inside.

He stood up and shivered, running his hands up and down his bare arms to rub some warmth into them.

It was indeed, still bright outside, but the sun was already setting, casting long, red shadows across his path. While most people admired sunsets, Hao hated them and much rather preferred the absolute darkness, or, if it couldn't be helped, the cheery brightness of the day. He disliked inbetweens.

But no matter what, being outside was better than being inside, so he stayed, finding himself a nice patch of grass and laying down to watch the stars twinkle into existence. Until, that is, a head of blue blocked his view.

He started scowling and stopped, resorting to glaring instead, until finally he grabbed on to his stray emotions and sent them all scurrying the the deep recesses of his mind. He looked up calmly, not a hint of his previous discontent in his face. Instead, he let his custom smile twitch at the corners of his mouth, though he felt no amusement at this situation.

"You must be Ha-chan!" exclaimed the blob of blue that was annoyingly in his way.

"Yes, that's me," he replied. The blob of blue disappeared, and Hao almost thought that the intruder must have merrily went away, until he felt the grass beside him rustle, indicating that no, the intruder had opted to stay. He glanced over and almost grimaced at the head of blue sported on the person who had sat down on the grass next to him.

Great. Another blue-headed airhead here to torment him.

"I don't suppose you're related to Usui Pirika?" he ventured, hoping that it wasn't true. He propped himself up, the peaceful sky-gazing already disturbed.

"Oh my gosh, how'd you guess?"

Hao glanced at the other boy, his smile almost a smirk, as he reached over, his hand fingering a strand of the other boy's light blue hair.

"Your hair color. It's quite rare," murmured Hao.

A blush spread across the other boy's face. It could have been because of Hao's words, but more likely it was because of Hao's actions. The boy quickly pulled away, straightening his headband as he did so.

"I'm Horo Horo!" exclaimed the boy, trying to ignore what Hao had just did. "And I'm a voice actor!"

"Ha-chan," supplied Hao, as it seemed to be his turn. He suppressed his urge to make fun of the other boy's reaction. "Singer."

Hao offered his hand, though Horo Horo did not take it without blushing.

And that was how Hao met Horo Horo, who would turn out to be the blunt of Hao's merciless teasings for times to come.

* * *

**to be continued**

* * *

**next chapter:** "Yoh," was Anna's terse greeting. Yoh smiled hesitantly in return. (in other words, Anna pays Yoh a visit!)

Comments, reviews, criticism all greatly welcomed! I check my email very impulsively every few minutes, and it makes me depressed when it's empty!


	10. chapter 9: the visit

T W I N - S T A R S

by Lucathia

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**c****hapter 9: the visit**

* * *

Yoh was on his hill as usual, where he had a good view of the entire place. Off in the corner of his eye, he could see the wide expanse that the Asakura estates covered, and far to the left of that was the small school that he attended. It wasn't a large school by any means, since his town was essentially one in the countryside where few people actually settled down. On this hill of his, he was able to see far and beyond with one sweeping gaze, and that was exactly what he did as a break from admiring the clouds.

That was when he saw the black limousine pull in to stop right in front of the large gates of his home.

He shot up immediately, the quiet peace disturbed. A startled sparrow that had been hopping around near him took off into the air.

He started making his way down the hill.

Anna was here.

"Yoh," was Anna's terse greeting the moment he stepped into the courtyard. Ryu had already parked the car and had already taken whatever gifts Anna brought this time into the house. Anna waited just outside the door. She had already gone in and saw that Yoh wasn't inside. She looked livid for some reason and was tapping her foot. Yoh was almost afraid to approach her since she was clearly in a bad mood. But Anna hadn't visited in a while. Just the thought of Anna finally visiting him put a hesitant smile over face. At his smile, Anna just rolled her eyes, though she did seem to cool down a bit.

"Anna, do you think you could sign something for a friend of mine?" asked Yoh, in case he forgot to ask later. He thought of how happy Manta would be to get something signed by Anna. Manta hadn't asked, but Yoh thought he should do something for his friend since Yoh had borrowed quite a few things from Manta already.

Anna was surprised and almost stopped fuming, but she just pursed her lips and uttered a short, "we'll see," before she nodded towards the door, indicating that they should go in.

She waited until his steps matched hers, and together they headed inside.

"These are just simple gifts," murmured Anna as she motioned for Ryu to hand over the basket of oranges that she had brought.

Kino took the basket, all the while murmuring that Anna didn't need to bring gifts when she visited, for weren't they almost like family? Still, Anna always brought something when she visited. One time it had been a special brand of chocolate that she had gotten introduced to by one of her fans. This time she had decided on oranges over everything else because Yoh had been heavily on her mind when she was choosing her gift.

"How has school been lately?" asked Yohmei as he poured everyone a cup of warm tea.

Anna, warming her hands with her cup, gave a barely-noticeable smile to the two who were almost like parents to her.

"Hokkyokusei Academy isn't as grand as people say it is. But, it's passable, though the company there leaves much to be desired." She glanced at Yoh as she said this. Yoh gulped and looked away, for he had opted against joining Anna in her career. He liked listening to her sing, but he wasn't very big on singing himself. It took too much work, all that practicing. He'd much rather listen and enjoy what he heard than do any of the work himself, even though whenever Anna came, she drilled him with lessons. He never looked forward to that part of her visits.

Yohmei nodded. "I'm sorry you had to transfer to a specialized school for idols. I was under the impression that you'd have wanted to attend the same school as Yoh."

Anna's smile was not without bitterness, though it was so slight that no one in the room noticed. Yoh might've if only he had been looking at her then, but at that moment, his gaze was elsewhere. "Being an idol has its ups and downs," she murmured. "Normal school life is hard to maintain while being an idol. It's much more convenient this way."

Kino nodded, as if she had already expected the answer. As the financial backing behind Funbari Onsens, she had seen her fair share of the sort of life an idol led. It wasn't something that she'd have forced on anyone, but she understood that Anna was not one who liked to be in debt. Anna's choice to start singing had been her way of repaying Kino for all those years that she had looked after her.

Yoh almost nodded off as they continued chatting about this and that. His grades. Tamao's training. Anna's new albums. He might have even started dreaming, since he saw oranges drift by in front of his eyes...but oranges couldn't really float around in the sky, could they? Not unless they were clouds of course, but he wasn't even outside...

"Is Yoh an only child?" asked Anna.

Suddenly, he was wide awake and staring at Anna, whose expression gave nothing away. She seemed almost unconcerned about her question, except Yoh knew otherwise. If she had been unconcerned, she wouldn't have guarded her expression as closely as she did now.

He glanced towards his grandparents and was shocked to see that they, on the other hand, had paled considerably. Yohmei looked like he was about to say something but didn't quite know how to put it into words.

"Yoh doesn't have a sister, does he?" Anna's second question seemed to bring back the color in Yohmei and Kino's face.

Yohmei shook a little, as if amused by the question, though it might have been from nervousness or maybe even relief. "No, no he doesn't. What makes you ask that?"

"Then does he have any female cousins near his age, by any chance?" pressed Anna.

This time Kino answered.

"No, he doesn't. Not that we know of. From this side of the family he only has two male cousins. They're currently residing in America, and they're not anywhere near Yoh's age."

Anna blew on her tea, though it had cooled a long time ago. It merely gave her time to put together her thoughts. She glanced up at Kino and Yohmei and then at Yoh.

"So...it's possible that Yoh might have cousins that we don't know of on his father's side?"

"It's not impossible..." ventured Yohmei, not quite sure where Anna was taking the conversation.

Anna nodded, as if reassured.

"Then it's quite possible then," Anna paused and took out a magazine from her bag, "that this girl is related to the Asakuras?"

She placed the magazine on the table. Three pairs of eyes widened, though for different reasons.

"Where-" began Yoh, for the magazine looked awfully familiar. He had a bad feeling about all of this.

Anna turned towards him fiercely and smiled a scary smile. "From your room, where else? Care to tell me exactly why you have this? And who," Anna stabbed her finger at the girl on the front of the magazine, "she is?"

Maybe that was why Anna had looked so livid when he spotted her at the entrance right before they headed inside together. She had found it. The magazine. It was the magazine with Ha-chan on the cover. It was the only magazine that he had borrowed from Manta, along with two CD recordings of Ha-chan's singles.

He didn't understand why Anna was so angry though. All he knew was that anything he managed to say now would be considered wrong by Anna.

* * *

**to be continued**

* * *

Hokkyokusei Academy translates to North Star Academy.

**Next up:** "I thought you'd know. I mean, she looks just like you!"

Leave a review and I'll for sure reply to it!


	11. chapter 10: your photos aren't enough

T W I N - S T A R S

by Lucathia

Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman King.

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**chapter 10: seeing your photos isn't enough**

* * *

After school that day when Yoh saw Ha-chan for the first time on the cover of Manta's magazine, Yoh felt a strange feeling wash over himself. It was almost as if he was staring at a photo of himself...excluding the dress of course. Hers was a face he stared at everyday in the mirror, identical even down to the curve of her cheekbones. There were differences though, minute differences that someone unfamiliar with his face would find hard to tell. Her chin was slightly sharper, and her eyes...it was the eyes that immediately set her apart from him. Her eyes stared tauntingly at him, those dark, mischievous pools drawing him in. She showed spirit that he lacked, a liveliness and self-confidence that he rarely felt anymore. It was all there in her eyes and her pose and that crooked smile that seemed to delight in knowing a secret that the rest of the world was left in the dark about.

Yoh stared at the magazine, his mouth open in surprise.

"M-Manta," he managed finally, his voice wavering. "Who is this girl?"

Manta blinked in surprise. "You mean you don't know, Yoh-kun? I thought..." Manta's eyebrows furrowed as he lowered the magazine. "I thought you'd know. I mean, she looks just like you! I thought for sure she'd at least be some sort of relative, if not your sister."

"Sister? No, I don't have a sister. I'm an only child." Yoh reached towards the magazine, bringing it back to light. "But you're right. She looks just like me," he said wondrously.

"Is she a relative then?" asked Manta persistently.

"I don't know," murmured Yoh. "I've never heard of having any cousins around my age." Yoh's eyes ran over the photo, a soft smile coming over his face. "It'd be nice though, to have someone like that around. I'd love to have a sister."

Manta wrinkled his nose. "A sister isn't all that great. My little sister always makes fun of me for chasing after idols."

"What did you say her name was?" asked Yoh, who was still staring at the magazine cover, lost in his own imaginary world. What if she really was his sister? Why hadn't he known about her existence?

"My sister's name?" asked Manta, bewildered. "I don't think I ever mentioned it..."

"Eh?" Yoh glanced up. "When were we ever talking about your sister? I thought we were talking about this girl on the magazine cover!"

Manta rolled his eyes. Through his short acquaintance with Yoh, he had figured out that Yoh had a short attention span for most things. Yoh was the kind of guy who could only focus on the things that most captivated him, and when he did, he had no room for anything else. Right now, it seemed that Yoh was utterly focused on Ha-chan. Even though Yoh hadn't heard a word about Manta's sister, Manta did not feel slighted. Instead, he felt his heart lift at Yoh's reaction. Yoh wasn't even entertaining the thought that Manta had first approached Yoh only because Yoh looked like Ha-chan. Manta would hate it if Yoh thought their friendship wasn't genuine.

Bless Yoh for having such a cheerful outlook on life that he never even thought to be skeptical of Manta!

The short boy rummaged around his book bag and pulled out two CDs. "She's Ha-chan, the new idol from Bones Entertainment that everyone's been talking about. Here, I have both of her singles with me."

Yoh pulled his eyes away from the magazine, accepting the CDs from Manta. "Ha-chan..." he whispered. On the cover of one of the CDs, Ha-chan lay in the midst of tall, swaying grasses under a star-filled night sky. Even with her eyes closed, that smile of hers betrayed a similar mischievousness to what Yoh had seen from the cover of the magazine.

"Can I borrow these?" asked Yoh.

Manta nodded enthusiastically. "Sure! Ha-chan's music deserves to be spread!" Manta, being the fanatic that he was, bought two copies of everything he liked...just in case anything happened to the first copy. It never hurt to be safe.

"Thanks!" exclaimed Yoh excitedly. He flipped open the lid of his CD player and switched the CDs. When the soft music came on, Yoh couldn't help but feel a shiver run through his body. Ha-chan's song was entirely unlike anything of Anna's. He loved upbeat music and usually didn't like ones that weren't upbeat, but the atmosphere and the lyrics to this song...they were chilling. Yoh was again spellbound, this time not by her appearance but rather by her voice.

He wanted to know everything about her. In addition to the CDs, Yoh asked to borrow the magazine that Manta had shown him. Sadly, there was barely anything about Ha-chan in the magazine. All it had was a mere page about Ha-chan. Yoh stashed the CDs in his room, and he put the magazine in his drawer where he kept his letters from Anna. Each day before he went to bed, he played Ha-chan's song "Inyou no Chigiri" in his CD player. He often let himself drift off while listening to the slow, heartfelt song.

* * *

Yoh had not expected Anna's visit. He had not expected her to fly into such a frenzy over Ha-chan. He had not thought the magazine was something he needed to hide. Anna had thrown the magazine down on the table, laying it out for all in the room to see. His grandfather's eyes were wide with shock.

His grandmother, although blind, could sense the unease in the room.

"Can someone enlighten me about what all of you are fussing over?" she asked impatiently.

Anna smiled dangerously. "It's a magazine that Yoh kept hidden in his room. It has a photo of Ha-chan, the latest idol. Opposing idol, I might add."

"I wasn't...hiding it," mumbled Yoh, his voice trailing off when Anna's glare riveted towards him. Instead of shutting up, Yoh grabbed the magazine and held it up, pointing to Ha-chan's photo on the cover. "I mean, look at her! Aren't you the least bit curious? She looks just like me!" exclaimed Yoh, his eyes shining with passion.

Anna looked sharply at Yoh, his sudden fervor surprising her. She had never seen Yoh so alive. In all the years she had known him, he always backed down when she pushed, but this time he was unwilling to budge. Instead, he was plunging forward. Who was this Ha-chan who could spark such interest in Yoh? He hadn't even met her, and here he was, excited over her. Anna could not help but feel bitter.

"I forbid you to go anywhere near her," came the commanding voice.

Anna's attention swiveled to Kino, Yoh's grandmother. She had spoken before Anna had even managed to gather her words.

"Why not?" demanded Yoh, unused to not getting his way.

"I know what must be on your mind," continued Kino. "But she is in no way related to you. I have heard that there are coincidences where people look very similar to one another. This is one such case."

"But you're blind! If only you could see the uncanny resemblance-" blurted Yoh.

"Silence!" commanded Kino, her heavy cane impacting the ground. "I want to hear no more of this."

And that ended their conversation. Yoh was left confused and unsatisfied. Even if Ha-chan wasn't related to them, that didn't mean he couldn't meet her!

* * *

That night, when Yoh stood outside the courtyard to see Anna off, Yoh was still fuming. But when Anna surprisingly touched her forehead against his, Yoh quickly forgot about his anger. He blanched before his face started reddening.

"A-Anna!" he stammered.

Anna closed her eyes. "Yoh, your grandparents just want the best for you. I want the best for you too. I know I've been preparing you for the idol world, but if possible..." Anna grimaced. "If possible, I don't want you to follow me into that world."

"Anna..." murmured Yoh.

"Stay away from her," she warned. "Stay out of the idol industry. It's not for you."

With those last words, Anna stepped back. Yoh touched his forehead, the lingering warmth still with him. He watched Anna disappear into the black limousine and wondered when he'd next see her.

* * *

Alone in his room, Yoh played Ha-chan's song again. Her soft yet commanding voice flooded his ears, and he felt so very glad that his grandparents had not thought to search his room. The CD cases were safely tucked away with the rest of his vast CD collection. He pulled them out and placed them on his bed.

There she was underneath the starry sky, as if nothing could disturb her. Yoh grasped the CD case and held it in the air above him. He had stared at her image for countless hours, as if staring hard enough could make her appear in front of him. What kind of person was she like? Was she harsh like Anna? Did she enjoy watching the clouds like him? Was she as mischievous as how she looked in the photos?

Yoh grasped the CD case tightly, his gaze never wavering. Suddenly, merely seeing her photo and hearing her voice was not enough.

He heard from Manta that Ha-chan was going to have a concert soon.

He wanted to meet her.

He needed to go to Tokyo.

* * *

**to be continued**

* * *

A/N: I heard that SK is starting again, so here's something to celebrate that! Leaving us with "Princess Hao" was just too bizarre an ending. I look forward to how SK will end...even though we won't be getting the ending until 2009, I've heard. I have no excuses for not updating this fic for so long...I don't expect any of you to still be waiting for updates! I feel bad for even trying to return to this fic.

**Next up:** Her brother and Ha-chan were awfully close lately. Pirika couldn't help but wonder if there was something going on there.

If anyone's still following this, I'd love to hear from you!


	12. chapter 11: food shows no boundaries

T W I N - S T A R S

by Lucathia

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Shaman King.

* * *

**chapter 11: food shows no boundaries**

* * *

The energetic blue haired girl hummed merrily to herself as she made her way to the dressing room. Today, she was here to help Ha-chan finalize her image for her upcoming concert. Pirika squirmed at the thought of Ha-chan on stage. Imagine that! An idol that she tended to was going to be on stage! Pirika was responsible for a number of idols' appearances, but none of them had gained popularity as fast as Ha-chan had.

She continued humming as she approached the corner. She could hear her brother's loud voice nearby.

"Hey, that's mine!" he exclaimed indignantly. "You tricked me again!" He sounded like he was arguing with someone, and that someone had the upper hand. Pirika strained her ears to hear who exactly he was arguing with, but the other person's voice was much softer than her brother's.

She jovially sped up her steps. When she rounded the corner, she was greeted by the sight of her brother and...Ha-chan! Horo Horo looked like he had just leaped up from the sofa--his spiky hair drifted up with his motion. He made a wild grab at something Ha-chan held in her hands, but she calmly raised her arms out of reach. Horo Horo ended up crashing into the sofa that Ha-chan was sitting on.

Pirika winced for her brother.

"Umph!" Horo Horo landed face flat into the sofa, his face precariously close to Ha-chan's. The idol merely scooted away and opened the wrapped curry bun. She took a bite out of the bun, all the while smirking at Horo Horo's dismayed pout.

Pirika stood still at the corner. Since when had her brother and Ha-chan gotten so close? She hadn't even known that they knew each other! They hadn't had any jobs together yet. She would have known if they had. After all, she knew every little detail about her brother's schedule.

Her hands tightened around the straps of her bag. Her first reaction had been to jump out at them to scare her brother, but she was rooted to the spot. She had mentioned tons of wonderful things about Ha-chan to her brother, since she truly admired the rising idol, but she hadn't thought that they'd hit it off so well. It was weird seeing her brother get along with a girl.

She backed away from the corner, puzzled about why she was feeling unsettled.

She ended up taking a roundabout way to the dressing room.

* * *

When Hao entered the dressing room, he was in a good mood. He thought that meeting the blue-headed brother of Pirika would have made his days even more miserable than before, but Horo Horo actually had the opposite effect. Hao found it refreshing having a guy his age around, even if said guy was loud and brash and entirely unlike anyone Hao had thought he'd associate with. Caught in the fiercely competitive idol world where idols like Anna were watching his every move, it was a welcome break to meet someone like Horo Horo. The other boy spoke his mind freely and often acted before thinking, a rare thing indeed in the idol world.

Hao was in such a good mood that he greeted his blue-headed tormentor with a cheerful smile instead of the grimace that easily overtook him whenever Pirika was involved with his makeup and outfitting. Pirika had her bag open, the contents scattered all over the counter. He was prepared for her bubbly greeting, but today Pirika merely nodded at Hao before going back to sorting her cosmetics.

There was something up with the girl.

His cheerful smile remained as he sat down in front of the mirror. He busied himself with his hair and watched the girl through the mirror by sliding his eyes just slightly off his own reflection.

She didn't have her usual bright smile that threatened to split her face. She had her lips pursed as she rummaged through the contents of her bag, and her poise was far from confident.

"Here we go," she said when she finally found the comb and the spray bottle she had been looking for.

When Pirika started on Hao's hair, he continued studying her through the mirror. Normally, whenever he glanced at her through the mirror, she would catch his eyes and grin at him. Today however, she had her eyes trained on his hair as she slid her hands through his hair rhythmically.

Why was she so subdued?

The _pish pish_ of the spray bottle and the _swish swish_ of Pirika's rhythmic combing were the only sounds that could be heard in the otherwise silent dressing room. Hao remained patiently silent in his observation.

Soon, Pirika's hands stilled.

"Hey..." came the tentative voice of Horo Horo's little sister.

Hao smirked inwardly. He long since learned that silence was often the best probe for information. People loved to fill in the silence, giving themselves away without his having to say a word.

"Have you..." she paused and then started with a louder voice. "Have you met my brother yet?"

He nearly raised his eyebrows at the question. He hadn't expected such a question. What did Pirika's brother have to do with anything? Horo Horo had nothing to do with his upcoming concert. He wasn't a singer either, and even if he were, Horo Horo wasn't a female singer that Hao was competing against.

"I met him a few days ago. Why do you ask?"

Hao's curiosity had been spiked.

"Oh um, I was just wondering, that's all. I wondered if the two of you would get along. You don't seem to get along with people too well, but my brother's a natural! He's pretty weak against girls though," she said jokingly.

"Ah, well, we get along fine," he said.

His smile brightened, and he saw Pirika's expression darken in response. Hm, there was definitely something going on there.

"Ow!" he exclaimed when Pirika yanked on his hair with more force than necessary.

"Sorry, there was a huge tangle in your hair."

He knew that there was no such thing as a tangle in his hair. He had combed his hair several times before coming to the studio today. It was perfectly sleek.

He let her impudence slide. He was more curious about what was up with her. When they finished with last minute changes to his outfit and his hairstyle, they left the dressing room together.

And lo and behold, there stood Horo Horo next to the sliding doors of the studio's entrance. His proximity to the door kept the door open, letting warm air to drift in. The warmth tingled Hao's cold skin, chilled by the freezing air-conditioning of the studio.

Horo Horo turned around, somehow sensing their approach. A large smile came over his face. "Oh hey, the two of you are done too? I just finished with my recording. It was great!"

"Hi Horo Horo," said Hao with a friendly smile. He had pretenses to keep up after all. Right after his warm greeting, Pirika pushed past him. Hao caught himself before he ran into the potted plant that guarded the entrance, his eyes blazing.

"Hey Pirika!" exclaimed Horo Horo as his sister stomped past him through the open doors without even saying hi. Horo Horo was at a lost to his sister's reaction.

Hao calmed down as he glanced between Pirika's diminishing figure and Horo Horo's bewildered expression. Suddenly, a light bulb went off in Hao's head.

Her sullen demeanor. Her questions about her brother. Her darkening expression when he told her that they got along.

Pirika was jealous. She thought that he was stealing her brother away from her.

Hao almost laughed.

He was certainly no threat in that sense...not that either of the two knew that.

His eyes gleamed. This gave him an idea of the perfect way to crumble Anna's confidence. What better way than winning her companions over? First, he'll start with that pink-haired manager of hers that he always saw with her.

Tamamura Tamao.

* * *

The pink-haired manager that Hao had plans for smiled happily to herself as she closed the door behind her. She knew nothing about what Hao had in store for her, or else she would not be smiling. She was happy because Anna-sama had just praised her for keeping everything in order while she was away in Izumo. Tamao hugged her binder to herself. She treasured Anna-sama's praise because of how rare it was.

"Something good happen?" asked an amused voice out of the blue.

Tamao jumped, an audible gasp escaping from her lips. She quickly glanced up.

In front of her stood who Tamao knew must be Ha-chan, the idol who had risen through the ranks at an alarming speed. Tamao had not yet had direct contact with Ha-chan. She had only ever passed by the idol in the hallways. Never before had Tamao stood so closely next to the rising idol. Never before had the new idol spoken to Tamao face-to-face.

With Ha-chan right in front of her, Tamao couldn't help but see how closely Ha-chan and Yoh-san resembled each other. They were identical down to the curve of their cheekbones and the slant of their noses. Not many people would be able to tell them apart without Ha-chan's telling attire, but Tamao was one of the rare few who could tell them apart. She had spent years watching Yoh-san and waiting for him to turn around and look at her. She knew Yoh-san in and out.

He always left her blushing, but she was never uncomfortable around him. Now that Tamao found herself facing Ha-chan, who looked so much like Yoh-san, she could feel her telltale blush blooming. She breathed in deeply, trying to suppress her blush. This was Ha-chan standing in front of her, not Yoh-san! Besides, Ha-chan was a girl just like her. Her mind knew all this, but her blush refused to recede.

Unlike the comfort she felt with Yoh-san however, just being near Ha-chan made Tamao shiver. Ha-chan had an atmosphere entirely unlike most people Tamao knew.

"Um, it's, uh, well," stuttered Tamao, unable to string together a coherent sentence.

The idol raised her eyebrows. Before Tamao was able to explain herself, her stomach growled.

Tamao blanched and hugged her binder even closer to herself, her back almost against the door. This was so embarrassing!

Her cheeks even redder than before, she glanced at Ha-chan through her fringe, fully expecting a smirk. The smirk was there all right, but Tamao only caught a glimpse of it before Ha-chan shoved something at her.

"Here, take this," murmured Ha-chan.

The pink-haired manager blinked and grasped the thing that Ha-chan had shoved at her. It was a package of curry chips.

"T-thank you...?" said Tamao uncertainly. Ha-chan merely waved Tamao's thanks off as she walked away.

Tamao sagged against the door. She looked down at the package of curry chips in her hand and then at the now empty corridor.

What had all that been about?

* * *

**to be continued**

* * *

**A/N:** It was heartwarming hearing from all of you in the last chapter. Thank you for still following this story! Please let me know if you're still around. I also updated Hoshi no Hikari with a new Hoshi ga Hoshii desu side chapter called "Birth of a Shaman King." It's an introspective piece and not all that exciting, but I was trying to get back into writing about Hao/Hoshi. If there's still interest, I have a few ideas for that fic universe that I'd like to write.

**Next chapter: **He winced at the sudden pain in his stomach. How was he supposed to sing like this? "F-Faust," gritted the young idol through his pain. "I don't want to sing right now. Postpone the concert for me."


	13. chapter 12: lost before the concert

T W I N - S T A R S

by Lucathia

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Shaman King.

* * *

**chapter 12: lost before the concert**

* * *

On the day of the concert, Hao was not nervous. The mirror in front of him reflected a confident stranger dressed in a black skirt that had buttons running from the collar all the way down to the hem of the skirt. Slender fingers peaked out from the red, cotton sleeves. They played at the buttons holding the pockets closed. Pale cheeks were lightly powdered, no longer sunken from hunger. Long, glistening hair was tied back with a simple black ribbon. There was hardly any trace of the once starved boy in the reflection that stared back at him.

Except for those unchanging and sharp obsidian eyes, the reflection was not his.

His life as an idol made him bury his identity, but in exchange, his meals were stable, and he had clothes that belonged only to him. Thousands of people noticed him and found him important, even though he was one big lie.

It was a lie he relished in.

He only regretted that his fame wasn't even more widespread.

He saw no reason why he shouldn't be at the very top. Hao was not someone who settled for second best. Today's concert was only one step towards the top. A grin spread over his face as he remembered his second encounter with Kyoyama Anna's pink-haired manager earlier that day. His plan was moving along well. This time, the pink-haired manager had been singing quietly to herself. He vaguely recognized the tune as one of Anna's.

"You have a pretty good voice," he commented from behind her.

She jumped and was just as skittish as she had been when he had approached her in the hallway the day before. He knew that she was a shy person and he was from a rival company, but was there really such a need to be so wary of him?

"Have you ever thought about becoming an idol yourself?" he asked, his head tilted in friendly inquiry.

The pink-haired manager opened her mouth as if to answer, only to close it quickly. She frowned and shook her head miserably.

"Why not? Your voice is beautiful. You have what it takes," he continued. He did not think at all that Tamao had what it took to be an idol. She was not ruthless enough to withstand the competition. He did not think she would actually heed his words--he only wanted to create strife between Anna and her manager.

He noticed her cheeks reddening rapidly. Did his words have that much of an impact?

The pink-haired girl dug around in her bag and held a box out to him.

When he took it, his face was not free from surprise. She must have noticed, since she began babbling.

"T-this bento is my thanks for your curry chips from yesterday!" she explained in a hurry, her arms flailing in front of her. "I figured that since you seem to like curry chips, you might like some curry chicken too. I um know a guy who has similar tastes. Y-you look a lot like him actually," she finished and looked up at him timidly, the blush never leaving her face.

He opened the lid, the delicious aroma of curry chicken drifting to his nose. She was much more perceptive than he had given her credit for.

"...thank you," he murmured, and when he looked up, he saw a wide, stupid smile grace her lips. It was a look he had often seen on girls that had admired him back at the orphanage.

It was then that his brain registered "the guy" that she had mentioned. Was that guy the reason why Tamao was so nervous around him? Hao frowned. He wasn't acting like a female enough if he was still reminding girls of guys they liked.

The bento box lay untouched on his dressing table as he stood up.

He was saving it for later.

* * *

Minutes before the concert, Hao winced, his hand flying towards his stomach to clutch at the pain. Tiny bursts of pain wracked his stomach, making him kneel over. He was only barely managing to stay upright. What the heck? It couldn't had been anything he had eaten. The bento box was still untouched.

Wait.

His eyes narrowed. There was that cake that he had snatched away from Horo Horo earlier. Where exactly had the loud boy gotten that piece of cake from? He grimaced at the idea that it might have been from one of the faceless, idiotic fangirls of Horo Horo. Passing food around like that was unclean, and Hao knew first hand that accepting food from a stranger was not a good idea.

He winced again as another sharp burst of pain hit him. The pain reminded him of the days he had starved as he blindly wandered around the city on his own. He had thought that he'd never feel pain like that ever again now that he was earning money on his own.

He tried to move towards the stage, but he only managed one step before he had to steady himself against the wall.

How was he supposed to sing like this?

"F-Faust," gritted the boy through his pain. "I don't want to sing right now. Postpone the concert for me."

The pale man turned wide eyes at the young idol. "This concert is for you, your fans, and Eliza! You can't postpone it right before it starts." However, a knowing smile came over him when he saw Hao clutching his stomach.

"Ah, time of the month?" Faust ventured. "I remember how volatile my gentle Eliza became when she was hit with those cramps. Imagine that! Gentle Eliza, who takes her time to take care of the kids in the hospital wards even though she's very weak herself..."

Seeing Faust lost in his ramblings about 'Eliza' once again, Hao quietly slipped away. There was no way he would be able perform in this kind of condition. He was not at his best. He refused to let anyone see him so weak and pitiful. Not even Faust, who had dragged him in from the streets and...saved him.

He snorted at Faust's assumption. Well, at least now he knew a good excuse to use when he wasn't feeling his best.

* * *

"Huh, why does this corridor look the same as the last one?" wondered the boy with orange headphones. Since he had run quite a distance and was therefore sweaty, he had his school uniform unbuttoned, revealing the claw necklace that he wore against his chest.

He paused the music and slid his headphones down to his neck. The corridor was eerily silent without his music.

He glanced towards the left and then towards the right.

He was lost.

He really should have asked the avid Ha-chan fan Manta to meet him in front of the auditorium. But Yoh had trusted himself to be able to find the main hall...after all, it was the main hall! How hard would it be to find? Besides, he had thought that even if he did get lost, he could have asked someone else for directions. He was pretty sure that the auditorium would be crowded with people for the concert. And yet, there was no one in sight he could ask. Were all the people already seated or something?

He wandered a bit more, hoping that blind luck would lead him to the right place...until a hand shot out to stop him.

"There you are! You had me worried! The concert can't start without you there-"

Yoh stared at the babbling yet tall stranger. Did he know the guy? Why couldn't the concert start without him? It wasn't like he was vital to the people hosting the concert or anything. Actually, he didn't even know anyone from Bones Entertainment. This guy especially, was a little freaky with his purple lipstick and chalk-white face. Yoh was quite sure that he didn't know anyone who wore purple lipstick. And...was that a dandelion sticking out from the man's straw hat?

The man's tirade stopped suddenly, his eyes widening.

"YOUR HAIR!"

Yoh's hand shot up to his hair without thought. "My hair?"

"When did you cut it?"

Yoh blinked. "Um, last month?"

The man stared at Yoh unblinkingly, his eyes roaming over the boy and his unbuttoned shirt, until he calmly asked, "Who are you?"

"Yoh."

A maniacal gleam came over the man's eyes as his fingers started twitching unconsciously. Yoh suddenly felt more than a little alarmed.

"Can you sing?" the man asked excitedly.

"Uh...somewhat? I play instruments more," he answered hesitantly, his eyes watching Faust's twitching fingers warily.

He had no idea where the conversation was headed.

"Instruments? Guitar? Electric keyboard?" continued the tall man's questions.

"Yeah, those..."

A wild grin accompanied the gleam in the man's eyes.

"Perfect."

* * *

The crowd wasn't humongous by any means, certainly not as large as the crowds seen in Kyoyama Anna or Iron Maiden Jeanne's concerts. Ha-chan was still a fairly new idol, and because of that, not many people knew of her yet. Those who did, however, swarmed to Ha-chan's very first concert, ready to finally be able to see the new idol on stage, to finally be able to see and hear her without going through the radio or through magazines.

Oyamada Manta was one of those fans. He hurried back to Tokyo all the way from Izumo just for Ha-chan's concert. Currently, he sat in the third row, which was the closest seat he had been able to get tickets for. With the rest of the fans, he waited in anticipation for the show to start.

When the clock struck seven, the time the concert was supposed to start, the crowd hushed, thinking that Ha-chan was about to take to the stage. But as the seconds ticked by and nothing happened, the murmurings grew louder.

"Where is she?"

"Is it starting yet?"

"Are they having technical problems?"

"Man, this sucks!"

Manta jumped off his seat, straining to his tiptoes as he gazed at the stage, hoping for something to happen. It wasn't possible that the concert was going to be delayed! Or even worse, canceled!

And then, finally, the lights dimmed. The crowd once again hushed as the spotlight focused on the stage. The music started, and out stepped a figure through the mist.

Manta squinted, trying to make out the figure in the mist. When the mist started clearing, Manta's eyes widened.

That lazy smile...that slow but sure walk...

Wasn't that Yoh-kun??

What the heck was Yoh-kun doing on stage? And where was Ha-chan?

* * *

**to be continued**

* * *

**Next chapter:** Twin Stars.

**A/N:** Phew, I finally got around to the start of the concert! The second half was written years ago, but I couldn't get around to it without writing the lead up to the concert. I hope the two parts aren't too different in style?

The twins' birthday is next Monday (two days before mine). Isn't that neat? I hope to get the next chapter out by then, but we'll see.


	14. chapter 13: the concert

T W I N - S T A R S

by Lucathia

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Shaman King.

* * *

**chapter 13: the concert**

* * *

When Yoh stepped through the mist, he had to squint against the blinding light. His hand moved up to his face to shade his eyes. He couldn't make out any of the faces of the audience, but that didn't help him any. He distinctively felt their collective stares on him, as if they could stare right through him, uncovering him for the civilian that he was. Although his walk and his smile were as assured as ever, inside, he was just a bit anxious.

He wondered if they had figured it out yet. Maybe he should tell them that he wasn't who they were waiting for?

The man with the disturbing glint in his eyes had not dressed Yoh up to masquerade as Ha-chan. Instead, Yoh was dressed in a black turtleneck that clung to his body and a pair of dark jeans that fit him snugly. Yoh didn't know whose clothes these were, but they fit him perfectly, so perfectly that anyone should be able to tell that he wasn't female if they looked closely enough. Yoh had been told to "stall as long as he could," but with his appearance on stage like this and his frightening similarity with Ha-chan, how could the audience not go wild?

He looked down at the music sheets the man had shoved into his hands. Yoh had come to Tokyo to see Ha-chan. He had never expected to take Ha-chan's stage. Anna was going to kill him, and Ha-chan's concert was going to be a mess because of him. He was already starting off on the wrong foot with her despite not having even met her yet.

He exhaled slowly. Everything was going to turn out fine. All he had to do was play, a feat almost as simple as breathing for him.

He swung his legs over the bench, sitting himself down in front of the keyboard. He had never tried his hand at playing these songs, but Yoh had listened to Ha-chan's songs countless times during the past few days while he yearned to learn more about Ha-chan. Her songs were all that he had of her. He knew her songs by heart, even better than the songs Anna had assigned to him to practice.

The audience faded into the background. They no longer mattered.

His fingers danced across the keys.

* * *

Everyone around Manta began cheering the moment the first few notes of Ha-chan's chilling song graced the air.

Manta did not cheer along with them. The couple in front of him started waving their hands along with the music, making it hard for him to see the person on stage, but Manta did not need to see to know that Ha-chan wasn't the one on stage. Manta's heart was doing somersaults. With that kind of keyboarding, that had to be Yoh-kun up on stage. Manta knew that Yoh-kun was skilled with instruments. Yoh-kun had played for him once, and the music had been ethereal. Even when Yoh-kun had played a song for Manta using a _leaf_ of all things, his music had been indescribable. Yoh-kun approached playing with the same kind of laid-back attitude he had with life. The result was a soothing and natural tune. Even with Ha-chan's slow, soulful song, Yoh-kun's personality added a new flair to the song. The song felt...warmer somehow, and very different from Ha-chan's rendition.

The small boy's eyes darted around nervously. The mist obscured Yoh's figure, but it was only a matter of time before people noticed that the person on stage wasn't Ha-chan. Manta didn't understand why they hadn't been given an explanation for Yoh-kun's presence...and Ha-chan's absence. It didn't make sense for Yoh-kun to be on stage. His family owned the opposing idol company after all!

Just what was Bones Entertainment up to?

* * *

This was Ha-chan's tune, thought Yoh. This was her song, meant to be graced by her special voice. Without her voice, it was lacking. He couldn't fill in the void. But with the upcoming instrumental part between the verses, it was finally his time to shine. Ha-chan's original song required several instruments, none of which were at his disposal, but with some expert keyboarding skills on his part, he could make it work. He needed to make it work. This wasn't his concert to ruin. He was already in enough trouble for sneaking out of Izumo while his grandparents were away. He hadn't told Anna about his plans either. He couldn't imagine she'd be happy about how things had turned out. Yoh had thought that he would merely be watching Ha-chan's concert along with his friend Manta, and maybe, if he was lucky enough, he'd be able to meet Ha-chan backstage. How wrong he had been!

He wanted to make this concert perfect for Ha-chan, but these thoughts weren't helping him concentrate. Strange, he usually never had any problems with concentrating. Had the stage always been this huge? Was that dark mass out there full of people watching him, waiting for him to mess up? Were they wondering who he was?

"We want to hear you sing!" screamed a fan.

Yoh faltered, his finger hitting the wrong key. He deftly continued without breaking the rhythm. He had been prepared to hear their discontent. He knew he couldn't keep playing forever, but being interrupted in the midst of the interlude, the part where there wasn't any singing in the first place, was very disheartening.

The crowd began murmuring, the volume cascading, almost drowning out Yoh's soft notes. Other than the first shout, he couldn't make out what they were saying. That only made him more conscious of the audience. His tenseness was showing in his music.

The song was coming to an end, and he was entirely ruining her image for her. He had stalled for as long as he could. It was time that he stood up and apologized to the crowd--

"In my chants," sang the slow, confident voice. "a blade, a mirror, and a stone...

Yoh's head jerked up at that powerful voice that came from behind, the voice that had captivated him like nothing else. He almost couldn't believe that she was right behind him. He almost couldn't believe that they were on the same stage...together. She had only been an abstract voice, a picture on a magazine. Now, she was within his reach. He wanted to ask her a million questions. All thoughts of stopping and apologizing to the audience had flown out of his mind. He nearly paused his playing, but even when he faltered, Ha-chan continued as if they had planned to take the stage together from the start. Her voice reached out to the very corners of the stadium. He wasn't the only one who her voice had touched.

She maneuvered her way over to Yoh as she sang, her red high heels coming into Yoh's vision. It was hard to keep himself focused on playing when she was so close.

When Ha-chan began the the last verse, she held her hand out to Yoh. Her fingers were long and slender--very suitable for playing the piano, thought Yoh.

His eyes followed those hands up, and when he finally met her eyes, he saw her eyes widen. Apparently, she had not expected him to look exactly like her.

He clasped her hand amidst the confusion, his fingers leaving the keyboard behind. At the touch of his hand, she snapped out of her surprise and pulled Yoh up to stand next to her. The high heels made her taller than him, but without them, they would probably be the same height.

She probably wasn't expecting him to sing, but he opened his mouth anyway, his voice harmonizing with hers.

"The blade in the spirit, the mirror in the soul, the stone in the heart. "

They walked to the front of the stage with their hands still entwined. With Ha-chan next to his side, the stage didn't look daunting at all. Even the bright light that singled Ha-chan and him out didn't feel piercing. Yoh truly felt that everything would be all right now. He glanced at Ha-chan as they sang the last word together, wondering what she was going to say to the audience about him.

Ha-chan, as if she knew he was looking at her, turned her head and smiled her impish smile at him.

Yoh felt something flutter inside. The next moment, that smile ceased to be his only. She turned to face the crowd, her smile aimed towards all of her fans.

"Thanks for coming to my concert," she spoke into the mic. "All of you must have been wondering where I was and just who this boy beside me is."

As she gestured at Yoh, the audience murmured its agreement. All in all, the audience was subdued. Most of them were still shocked over the two identical people on stage.

"Well, I was quite surprised myself," continued Ha-chan, "but apparently this boy and I will be forming a duo called Twin Stars."

Yoh froze at those words just as the audience erupted, his hands unconsciously tightening on Ha-chan's. She turned back to him, her smile still in place, as if she hadn't noticed the tightening of his hands.

"Please welcome him, everyone!"

Yoh stared blankly at Ha-chan's challenging eyes. Her voice was sugary sweet and her smile was teasing, but her eyes spoke otherwise. He still couldn't believe what she had just said either.

Just how had things turned out this way? Anna was not going to like it.

* * *

**to be continued**

* * *

A/N: I just read a cute manga called Charisma Doll that's focused around a crossdressing idol. That made me remember this fic!

I meant to use parts of Hao's songs in this chapter, but I can't find translations anywhere. The songs are in classical Japanese, so they're very hard to translate. I used whatever parts of it I could.

...if any of you are still following this, I would love to hear from you.

**Next chapter:** "You left me for her!?"


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